The Contingency: A Star Wars Story
by ChealseaGrins
Summary: Years have passed since Emperor Vader has taken the Empire, but many still oppose him. A secret council of powerful men within the Empire and a dangerous Rebel Cell conspire against Vader for control. Imperial Prince Luke Skywalker goes to Alderaan to stop sensitive intel falling into their hands, but is unprepared to find his estranged sister and her Jedi Master waiting for him...
1. Chapter 1: Terrorists

— _**\- - — - - — - - — - - — - - — - - —**_

 **The Contingency: A Star Wars Story**

— _**\- - — - - — - - — - - — - - — - - —**_

 **Peace has come to the Galaxy. In a stunning move, Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader has slain Emperor Palpatine and now controls the New Empire as he sees fit.**

 **While the Galaxy approves of Emperor Darth Vader's rule, there are still those who oppose him. Lord Vader has begun putting countermeasures in place for what he suspects to be a coup against him.**

 **Remnants of the late Emperor Palpatine's inner circle linger throughout the Empire's ranks, plotting to overthrow the new Emperor and his New Empire. He suspects these traitors to be working closely with the Rebels. This suspicion has been made more clear upon the discovery that a High General has allowed classified information that could plunge the Galaxy into an endless war to be taken by the newly formed Rebel Alliance.**

 **This High General has travelled to Alderaan with plans to sell the means of decoding the stolen information to the Alliance.**

 **On Alderaan, the Imperial Prince, Luke Skywalker is sent to stop the General and find any new leads on this matter to prevent this investigation from turning what was once a promising investigation into a cold case with very few leads.**

 **Meanwhile, In a stroke of luck, the Imperial Intelligence Agency has reportedly located a very powerful ally to Palpatine during his time as Emperor. Former Regional Governor, Keth Tendoora who has been in hiding since Palpatine's death may hold the key to putting an end to the plot against the New Empire.**

 **To avoid suspicion from his enemies, Emperor Darth Vader has secretly sent his Sith Apprentice, Lord Starkiller, and his** _ **Spear of the Empire**_ **fleet to the Outer Rim planet of Rishi in order to collect former Regional Governor Keth Tendoora…**

— **\- - —**

 **Chapter 1**

— **\- - —**

The sun's light reflected green-blue hues directly off of the surface of the Outer Rim planet Rishi, rays blocked out by the looming shadow of a large, black Star Destroyer in it's orbit. Ominous in design, the dreadnaught was like it's own shadow. Wherever it went, darkness surely followed.

Surely, the most terrifying aspect of this ship was the reputation of it's commander…

From the port side hangar, five ships flew out in a V formation, four large transports and a commander's shuttle in the middle.

Keth Tendoora's eyesight may not be what it had been, but he saw the shadows of the transports against the moonlight's glow from the window of his small hut and panic came over his wrinkled face.

They were here... Perhaps Darth Vader had finally found what he'd helped create and was coming to destroy it.

Imperial crafts. Newer and much more sleek than the ships he was used to.

A hand gently touched Keth's shoulder, and his aging heart sunk. He placed his hand on top of it. "My love... take Mina and run."

His wife nodded her head, an anxious look crossing her face. She turned and ran off.

The company of carriers landed in the open area of the village, their ramps lowering and releasing a slew of white-armored stormtroopers. The villagers closed their windows and backed away when the troops began kicking in doors and dragging people out of their homes forcefully.

The aging man turned to his wife and teenage daughter in a panic. "Go, now!" He ordered quickly.

"Daddy!" She reached out.

He smiled. Even in her early adult years, she hadn't broken the habit of calling him 'daddy.' It always brought warmth to his heart.

"Mina, my darling... _now_. You must leave! My past has caught up with me..."

A tear crawled down her cheek and she was tugged away by her mother.

Keth heard the soldiers next door, yelling orders and the terrified screams of his neighbors as they were pulled from their homes.

They were here. They kicked his door in and immediately aimed weapons at him, hollering through electronically-filtered voices to put his hands up.

He offered no resistance when they took him by his arm and roughly dragged him to the center of the village to kneel next to his neighbors. Many of whom were crying in terror, small sons and daughters clinging to their mothers, their father's faces swollen from attempts to spare their families of this terrible nightmare.

The commander's shuttle touched down next to the transports just moments later. The ramp lowered. Six black-clad soldiers stiffly marched out. In their arms were very powerful blasters.

Governor Tarkin and Grand Admiral Thrawn's Death Troopers with their E-11D blaster carbines.

Following the terrifying soldiers came a young man, purposefully walking through the flank the six soldiers had made. He lingered at the ramp's edge, a dark cloak over his shoulders and a thick cowl covering his head.

The ominous glow of his orange-red eyes sent an icy wave of fear through the villagers.

The man pulled his hood back, his hair shaved close to his skull. His face set in a displeased scowl.

The young commander who needed no introduction stopped in front of the villagers, the soldiers straightening their backs as if he were Lord Vader himself, and scanned them over, scrutinizing them with those corrupt eyes.

Lord Starkiller exuded a feeling of power and a terrifyingly real sense of absolute control of wherever he went, whatever he saw and whoever was in his presence.

They could all sense the power within him.

This must be the _Force_ Emperor Palpatine sometimes rambled on about.

Starkiller stood in front of the kneeling villagers, looking them over swiftly once more. His eyes slightly narrowed in frustration.

"I'm looking for an ex-Imperial Moff." The young man spoke, his voice flowed out rugged and curt. He was in a hurry. "I know you're here, Keth Tendoora. Identify yourself." He glanced through the crowd for signs of reaction. His jaw tensed. "Don't make me kill these fine people."

Gasps of horror were heard, but the young man was unfazed.

"Who do you think you are?" A voice sounded from the group."Coming to our village and frightening our families!" The hero chided angrily. "There are children here! We have done nothing to warrant the wrath of the Empire!"

The young man's head slowly turned toward the outspoken citizen. He motioned to the soldiers with a simple nod and and they pulled the man to his feet and dragged him to the man, kicking him to his knees. The villagers shuddered in fear for him.

Starkiller leaned toward the man. "This _innocent village_ has knowingly harbored a criminal for the last seven years." He spoke ominously. His hand grabbed the citizen's forehead and the man grunted and groaned for a moment before the young Sith released him. The hero collapsed, forcing the stormtroopers to catch him and hold him up. "Pity. You're not him." In a swift movement, the young man swung his arm out from the opposite waist, ending the man's life with a crimson rod of a lightsaber.

Another collective of gasps shook the crowd, and a piercing scream of 'no' rang. A woman crawled out from the crowd and embraced the man's body, sobbing violently.

The man had secluded himself from the Galaxy for seven years, but he watched the news enough to see Darth Vader and his student's atrocities. If anything, the Emperor's policies hadn't changed which meant Vader's hadn't changed. This young man was probably just the same as always.

The Supreme Commander of the Imperial Military scanned the crowd dangerously as his lightsaber rested in his hand. This time, he wasn't searching. This time he was glaring with an unspoken, yet clear warning against defiance. His saber deactivated and was clipped to his belt. "I'll repeat myself. An Imperial Governor is in your midst. Turn him over, or, Governor, identify yourself and all will be spared."

From the shuttle, an officer quickly jogged over to Starkiller. "My Lord, we've received word that Military Command has requested you contact the Capitol immediately. It seems they've noticed our absence."

"We don't answer to them, Captain. Feel free to remind them of their place." The young Sith darkly said. "If they have an issue, they can take it up with Governor Tarkin."

"Yes, My Lord." The Captain backed away.

"As you can tell, I'm pressed for time, Governor." The commander addressed the villagers once more in a darker tone. "If you refuse to come forward, I will begin executing these people one by one."

The crowd lit up in fearful gasps of horror.

A bead of sweat rolled down the old man's face. They couldn't get ahold of his information... but he also first hand what the Emperor would do to get said information... to these people...

"Governor…" Starkiller spoke. "This will be your final warning."

The man gulped hard.

He couldn't allow these innocent people to die for his mistakes…

The aging man closed his eyes and swallowed his fear. Surely he'd been in worse situations. "I." He voiced. All eyes turned to him. "I am former Regional Governor Keth Tendoora of the Ojoster Sector."

Troops weaved their way to him and yanked him to his feet. Like before they dragged him to the commander and kicked him to his knees. He groaned in pain. Old age had not treated him well.

The commander reached his hand out.

"There is no need for that. I know what you're here for."

The commander paused and pulled his hand back. "Then you'll cooperate."

"What is it you wish to accomplish?" The former Governor asked. "You cannot stop what's coming, why intervene now?"

The commander's eyes narrowed in a show of contained anger. "That's the Emperor's business." He answered curtly.

The governor huffed. "I pledged an oath to the Empire. I will not betray that oath." He defiantly glared.

"Lord Vader _is_ the Empire." Starkiller harshly corrected.

"He is a traitor and a murderer." Keth said firmly.

The commander's lips formed into a dark scowl. "Unfortunately, Governor, your opinion of the Emperor holds little weight in this matter."

"Nevertheless, it is my opinion to have. I will not waver."

Starkiller's patience waned. "You're a foolish old man. Your resistance is pointless. We will find those we are looking for with or without your willing cooperation."

The old man somehow knew this to be true. His family flashed in his mind.

Was the former Emperor really worth all of this?

Unsure of his fate and his decision, the ex-Governor stood. "Then I shall speak with Vader personally."

Starkiller's brow rose in contempt of this man's blatant disrespect. He let it go for the time being. "I am the Emperor's advocate, Governor." The young man said. "You're speaking with the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Military."

Keth's head tilted in disbelief. "You? You're but a child."

"Perhaps in your eyes. You'll quickly find that my capacity for patience is low." Starkiller warned.

"Be that as it may, I will not relinquish anything until I've spoken with the Emperor.

The commander regarded the man for a short moment before turning to one of his Death Troopers. "Inform Captain Needa to contact Lord Vader. Tell him we have a guest."

The soldier simply nodded and quickly went to perform his task.

Starkiller turned to the Governor. "So be it. You're making a grave mistake, Governor. The Emperor is in a fowl mood. And he's far less patient than I am." He stared for a long moment, driving his point home with fear flooding the governor's eyes.

Keth Tendoora stood his ground proudly, for what it was worth.

The Sith Lord turned. "Let's go."

"My Lord, what of the villagers?"

He glanced to them. Then he turned toward his ship. "I'm a man of my word. Leave them."

"Yes, My Lord."

He walked briskly back to his ship, his soldiers marching behind. As promised, he left the villagers.

— **\- - —**

Aldera was one of the most beautiful places in the Galaxy. The stunningly surreal view of the snow-capped mountainside that Aldera rested atop made Alderaan's Capitol city a most frequented tourist spot. Alongside the view, the sleek, artistic architecture of the towering spires made for new, exciting sights everywhere one looked. Each hotel room was of the finest quality, made for royalty. Each restaurant made for the best dining experience of one's life. Even mere morning caf shops provided the most delightful of treats and the highest quality caf blends and a wide assortment of only the best, exotic teas meant specifically for the expansion of one's horizons.

Such a shame General Roahin Skoche couldn't enjoy the experience.

Seated inside one of the various caf houses scattered through the city, his gaze did not rest on the beauty, his attention not concentrated on the soothing atmosphere. His eye were concentrated on a datapad next to the cup of caf and the morning tarts brought to him.

Skoche was a man who took care in his work. Such a situation as this required such meticulous attention to detail and the utmost care. He was being watched. As such, the General played the part of a tourist. His software engine performing decryption of sensitive intel was running in the background tasks of his datapad. On the surface, he was merely a military man on vacation enjoying a cup of morning caf while reading the morning news reports.

"Is there anything else I can get you, General Skoche?" A young lady asked him, voice fitting with the quaint volume of the high end shop.

She was different than the waitress he'd previously had. Roahin wanted to chide her for speaking a tad more rugged than usual Aldera locals. It could give them both away to the intelligence agents watching his every move. Though, that was hardly the case. It was nothing worth complaining about. Merely his paranoia.

Instead, Skoche smiled up at her. "Yes, yes. Thank you, my dear. Perhaps a refill. You'll have to excuse my binging this morning. I'm hardly used to Alderaan's winters. Warm caf does quite nicely by me."

She smiled warmly. "Don't worry, General. Nobody really ever gets used to it. Alderaan's winters are harsh." She reached for his cup. "My husband is a hiker. Your caf binge is something of an appetizer compared to how many cups I make for him."

Hiker. That tickled his ears. "A hiker you say?" Skoche chuckled. "He is a brave soul indeed."

"Reckless." She corrected, placing his cup of steaming brew next to his plate of pastries. "But it seems that's a common trait in men. Just don't go getting any ideas and set off into the mountains." She teased.

"Me? A hiker?" The General laughed heartily. "Oh no, my dear. I think not. My old bones would freeze in the snow, I'm afraid."

"As much as I doubt that, it is always nice to meet a man of the more… environmentally aware variety."

"Indeed." Roahin nodded in agreement. "To safety." He held up his cup for a brief moment and took a sip.

She gave her own chuckle. "If there's anything else I can do for you, General, just holler."

"Actually, may I have a set of silverware? I seemed to have misplaced mine."

Skoche recognized a slight glint in her eyes.

It was happening.

"Of course." She reached into her apron and placed a set of silverware rolled tight in a thick cloth. "I'll be back with your final bill in a few moments."

"Thank you, my dear."

He payed no mind to her when she walked off. Instead, as inconspicuously as possible, He unrolled his silverware, slowly. As expected, the small data chip rested inside.

He left it in the cloth for the moment, taking up his fork instead and slicing a piece of his tart to eat it. A few more bites, and he rest the the fork on his plate. Skoche then carefully placed the cloth on his lap and took the small chip, inconspicuously putting it in the right place.

He resisted the urge to grin madly.

1.57 billion Imperial Credits. 20 thousand more than what he was promised.

Perhaps the Rebellion wasn't as bad as he thought.

Roahin removed a separate chip from the pad and concealed it within the napkin as planned.

Smooth as a luxury yacht.

— - - —

"Dammit… I can't tell what's happening in there."

A set of eyes behind a set of high-tech binoculars watched the middle aged man in the restaurant just across the street from the roof he was perched on.

"He's getting ready to leave, Tyrus." A second, woman's voice chimed from beside ISB Agent Riley Tyrus. "Do you have a plan or not?" Her voice was elegant and poised like most accents of the core worlds were.

Riley glanced through the binoculars once more for a moment, cursing the architect of that restaurant for putting a damn support pillar on the porch of that caf shop right in the spot General Skoche was seated behind. "I think this is a waste of time." Riley shook his head in disappointment.

"Well, let me see then." His female comrade held her hand out for the binoculars.

Imperial Intelligence Agent Ruryi Jy'tha assessed the situation, calculating gaze scanning any detail her mind could absorb.

Her brow furrowed and she pulled the binoculars back. "That's odd." She glanced back through them.

"What?" Riley asked excitedly.

"Skoche has a set of silverware on the table." Ruryi explained. "That waitress just placed another next to it."

"That's it!" Riley snatched the binoculars and zoomed in. He watched the General for a moment before the HUD spotted a small chip and gave him a technical readout off to the side.

Tyrus smirked and handed them back to Ruryi. "She left him the credit chip."

Ruryi analyzed the binocular's readout of the chip. "Well, it seems you're not as helpless as I presumed."

Riley glared at her with a frown.

The ISB agent tapped on the comm device in his ear. "Team one, do you have visual?"

 _"Affirmative."_

"Skoche's just been handed the credits." Riley confirmed.

 _"_ _Sir, that's not enough to meet standard arrest_ _protocol."_

Riley pursed his lips. "Damn…" The agent cursed under his breath. "What the hell do we have to do to arrest this man?"

"This is _your_ operation, hot shot." Ruryi mocked. "Order the arrest." She added, still watching Roahin Skoche through the binoculars.

"They'll Hold it over me for the rest of my career." Riley muttered. "I can already see the headlines. 'Treasonous General walks because ISB Agent didn't follow standard arrest protocol'."

"Wait a moment…" Ruryi gaze through the lense intensified. A smirk graced her face. " _There_ it is." She handed them to Riley.

The agent scanned over the HUD's readout of a second data chip. "Well I'll be…" He smiled. His fingers once more tapped on the device in his ear. "Team one, team two. You seeing this?"

Both teams confirmed.

" _That_ meets standard arrest protocol." Riley jabbed playfully. "Alright, let's do it. All teams move into position." He glanced back to Ruryi giving her a nod and he pulled out a separate comm device. "Sir, we've confirmed General Skoche has the decryption codes."

 _"Keep me in the loop. We can't afford to lose him."_ The voice of the ISB's Deputy Director came back over the comm _"That data is top priority, Tyrus. Kill him if necessary._ _"_

"Copy that." Riley switched channels back to the op team's. "We got our green light, boys. Let's get this done."

 _"Copy that."_

Riley knelt down, Ruryi following his lead. They both stared down the building and watched as a the two black clad II squads poured out of the buildings on both sides of the restaurant's entrances. Riley glanced through the binoculars at the traitorous General.

 _"Team One in position."_

 _"Team Two in position."_

Riley glanced through the binoculars once more. "Move in. Take him alive."

" _Copy."_

A strange movement caught Ruryi's attention from her peripherals. "Blast!" She suddenly hissed. Several vehicles were turning onto the restaurant's street. "Hurry! Move in, move in now! There's company!"

Riley gave her a startled look and then noticed the three identical speeders. "Rebels?" He asked himself in a brief moment of stunned confusion.

"Sacred Way." Ruryi corrected.

The teams did as they were told and shuffled around the building, blocking both entrances. The sound of blasterfire and screams echoed through the streets of the usually quiet tourist district of Aldera.

The General dove to the side as chunks of splintered and charred wood flew in every direction. He covered his head with the chaos and confusion all around him.

The teams were yelling out orders; "On the ground! Everybody on the ground now!" so loud that even Riley and Ruryi could hear them.

Blasterfire had stopped for a moment and the agents walked quickly toward the General with their rifle barrels aimed at him.

 _"Target secure."_

The three speeders sped up. "Get him out of there!" Riley shouted. "You've got Rebel Spec. Ops on their on your tail!"

 _"Tyrus, what's happening?"_ The Deputy Director asked through the other comm.

Riley and Ruryi stood quickly and bolted for the roof door. "He has friends." Riley informed Issard.

 _"_ _I thought this was contained_ _."_ Harus's voice was cold.

"Apparently is not." Riley rolled his eyes. "He made the deal with the Sacred Way Rebel Cell."

They raced down the stairwell as the sound of muffled blasterfire erupted once more. "Where is he!?" Riley yelled through the comm.

 _"Team Two is escorting him to extraction."_

A massive explosion rocked the district.

"What in the blazes was that?" Ruryi asked lowly.

Riley growled. "Those idiot Rebels just turned this place into a war zone."

They continued down. "Wonderful."

The first floor lobby was filled with cowering civilians huddled against each other, taking cover wherever they could find it. The agents took a moment to look out the windows.

Riley cursed under his breath.

The Rebels moved forward with precision, the restaurant blown open, debris scattered across the street and smoke rising. They took extra care to keep civilians out of their targets.

The fire started again, and this time it was coming from the outside corners of the restaurant. ISB forces picked off Rebel Spec Ops and vice versa in a loud, chaotic firefight.

Blaster bolts shattered windows and slapped against the roof and walls of the building Riley and Ruryi were in with a hail of sparks and smoke.

"Come on!" Riley nudged his partner. The two bolted for the back door, practically bursting through it. With the cover of the firefight, they ran through the alleyways toward the extraction point. "Status!"

They bolted forward and waited for a response.

"Team Two, what's your location?"

Both Riley and Ruryi stopped. Again, no answer.

Riley cursed and threw his mic off. "Team Two is down. This is all us."

She pushed passed him. "Follow my lead this time."

There was no time to argue so he followed, both drawing their blaster pistols, jogging at a steady pace as the firefight was dying down.

"Both teams are down, I'm headed to retrieve the General." Riley spoke lowly to Harus through he com as the two backed into a wall to look around the corner.

"We have to make it across the street." Ruryi informed.

Great…

 _"What are we dealing with? Two teams were downed?"_ Harus asked.

"The damned Sacred Way is blasting our squads in broad daylight!" Riley hissed. "They just detonated a bomb in the middle of the restaurant!"

There was a moment of silence.

 _"They've gotten bold."_ The Deputy Director replied in a slightly stunned voice. _"Turn your beacon on, I'm contacting the Admiral_ _."_

"Oh, thank the Force." Riley sighed in relief. He did as he was told.

"Ready?" Ruryi asked lowly.

Riley nodded. "As ever."

"We'll have cover behind that speeder, and after that it's an open firing range." Ruryi explained.

Riley looked down the alleyway leading to the street. Sure enough, just one source of cover. "Duck and weave, duck and weave." He sighed.

Ruryi jolted forward with Riley following closely.

Blasterfire pinged through the air almost instantly, whizzing by the Imperial agents. They slid across the ground behind the speeder as the Spec. Ops squad lit it up with red bolts of plasma. Sparks flew all around them from behind, glass shattering from the building directly beside them.

"Great plan!" Riley shouted over the fire.

"Cover me." She readied her pistol.

"What?!"

Not waiting for him to protest, she yanked a device from his belt. "Now!"

"Dammit…" Riley leaned around the speeder's corner, pulling the trigger to his pistol as fast as possible to draw enemy fire. Ruryi leaned over the other side and tossed the device with a wide arc.

"Detonator!" One of the Rebels shouted out.

With a loud "ting", a plume of white smoke billowed outward in every direction instantaneously, so thick that vision was limited to maybe only a few feet in front of the speeder.

"Smoke?" Ruryi hissed at him.

Riley tapped the devices on the other hip sarcastically. "That's what happens when you don't ask questions. You helped them more than us."

Ruryi couldn't help but agree. "Damn…"

"Those are BlasTech scopes. They can see heat signatures with their rifles." Riley whispered.

Ruryi glanced around then smiled. "That they can." She motioned behind him toward a crowd of civilians huddled in the building next to them.

Riley had to give her credit, that was a smart way to make use of the situation. "They'll shoot them."

"Unfortunate." Ruryi coldly replied. She turned waved toward the civilians frantically. "Go, go, go!" She urged in a loud whisper. "Now's your chance!"

There was hesitation.

"Hurry! While they're still blinded!" Ruryi assured.

The obvious leader of the group glanced around the corner. Satisfied that the attackers were blinded, he motioned for the small group to follow..

The red blaster bolts seared through the air, targeted right at them.

"Now!"

Ruryi and Riley bolted out of cover, sprinting across the street.

The civilians dropped one by one, none of them making it to safety. The assailants spun their weapons. "To the left!" One of the Rebels called out.

A bolt smacked against the corner of a building just behind Riley as he ran behind for cover.

"Around the buildings, cut 'em off!"

Riley sighed, his nerves shaking it just a bit. "Come on… where's that extraction team?" He growled to himself.

Ruryi, however, was calm as ever, eyes scanning every detail of her surroundings, mind working overtime to come up with a solution. "We don't have many options…" She finally said. "One of us won't get out alive."

"Just what I needed to hear."

"You're surrounded!" The Rebel commander called out. Ruryi and Riley heard the footsteps coming closer and the chatter of the squad keeping information up to date.

"Maybe not…" Ruryi amended. "Looks like we're both dying today."

Riley closed his eyes and took a deep breath And tried fruitlessly to calm his shakes.

The footsteps getting closer broke him out of his thoughts.

He took another steadying breath.

The loud sound of Ion engines suddenly vibrated the area. The Rebel's blasters erupted while the unseen ship seemed to hover on the building Riley and Ruryi were pressed against.

"There's the cavalry." Riley grinned at his companion.

"We must find the General." Ruryi nudged him to follow.

The crept to the corner and glanced around it.

The smoke around them was thinner in the alleyway. The Agents turned the corner to see the Sacred Way Rebels shoot upward, arms shaking from rapid fire recoil.

With surprised yell ripped through his throat, the closest attacker he was yanked into the air. His yell stopped suddenly with a crash, the body then dropped in a free fall and splat against the floor he once stood and fired from.

Riley glanced up, confused.

"Ooof!" The one on Ruryi's side flew backward as well, and she saw through the thinner smoke, the soldier smash against the opposite building so hard that blood stained the wall from his collision of his head.

The Rebels stopped their advance. "Where did it go?!" One yelled.

Another yell echoed through the streets followed by the inevitable sudden silence.

"There it is!"

Blaster fire erupted once more and a sound that sounded like gas released from a compressed container was heard.

A low, violent hum accompanied the ominous, fire red glow through the smoke.

"Now's our chance, let's go!" Without a second, curious thought, Ruryi grabbed Riley's forearm and dragged him to follow.

Screams and the chaotic sounds of a firefight echoed behind.

They sprinted out of the alleyway, and Riley spared a glance into the thick fog. There was only a glow of red.

"Come on!"

Right.

Riley ran forward.

"Do we have a location?" Riley yelled up.

"I'd imagine somewhere near our extraction point!" She called back dryly.

Through the now clear air, the bodies of Team Two lay scattered about in a more open area.

She nudged his shoulder. "Let's go."

They raced forward, to the outskirts of the city where a shuttle was seen coming down somewhere in the woods close by. "There!" Riley pointed.

Ruryi nodded.

They rushed in to get a visual and saw the Rebel troops forming a tight circle around the General while the ship prepared to land.

Riley held his comm to his lips. "Sir, I've found him. The Rebels have the decryption, should I take Skoche down?"

 _"Unnecessary, Agent._ _"_ A new voice answered, poised and elegant. _"_ _Hold your position. Do not engage._ _"_

Both Riley and Ruryi gave each other stunned glances. "Grand… Admiral Thrawn." Riley stuttered through the comm.

 _"_ _That is correct._ _"_ The Admiral confirmed. _"Transmit your location. My asset on the ground will rendezvous at that point. I assume you've maintained a visual of the General?"_

"Yes, sir. He's preparing to board a shuttle."

 _"_ _Affirmative_ _."_

The Rebels hopped out of the ship.

"What's happening?" Ruryi asked quietly.

The men were talking with the traitorous General who seemed to be defending himself.

"I don't know…" Riley leaned forward.

Shocking both agents, a Rebel suddenly rose a blaster to Skoche's head and pulled the trigger without any hesitation.

The agents gasped.

"But… why?"

Riley fumbled with his communicator. "Admiral! Admiral- they just shot Skoche!" He held his own weapon at the ready.

The Rebels glanced in Riley and Ruryi's direction.

They both spun behind the trees providing cover.

Shots fired at them, the trunks of the trees vibrating with each bolt they absorbed. "We're taking heavy fire!"

" _Stay in cover, agents."_ Thrawn's most displeased voice ordered.

They were about to question the Admiral when something suddenly blurred by them.

With a snap-hiss and a low hum sounded, the Rebels began yelling out confused orders.

Their fire redirected.

Both agents cautiously peeked at the scene.

Surrounded by Sacred Way soldiers, a lone figure wielding a glowing, bright red sword of plasma twirled the blade around masterfully. Blaster bolts seemed to bounce right off of him and sink into the grass harmlessly.

"What in the…?" Riley questioned disbelievingly.

"It's Lord Vader." Ruryi watched in utter shock as the sole warrior picked off the Rebels with their own blaster shots. One by one, they fell in a small hail of sparks and smoke once one of the lasers pummeled into them until they all lay motionless on the floor.

The lightsaber-wielding man stood straight.

Dark blonde hair slicked back and short on the sides with a set of cold, blue eyes gave their rescuer's identity away.

"No, not the Emperor. It's the Prince." Riley grinned at this welcomed sight.

He instinctively flinched when two more shots blazed out from the ship's ramp.

The figure instantly angled the blade, moving it slightly once more after the first bolt reflected off of it.

The shots ricocheted. With the a solid thud, they burned into the two soldiers head and chest respectfully. They dropped like rag dolls.

Ruryi and Riley surveyed the area, concluding it was safe when the Prince's lightsaber shut off.

They jogged from cover up to him. "Prince Skywalker." Riley bowed at the waist. Ruryi mirrored him.

The handsomely distinguished young man tilted his head in response. "The decryption chip?"

"We lost sight of it when the firefight broke out." Riley informed.

"We think it's in the hands of an unknown operative, as of now." Ruryi further explained.

Luke's eyes glazed over in concerned thought. "I see…" He turned to look at the shuttle and brought his wrist up. "It's gone."

" _I assumed as much."_ Thrawn's voice replied through a speaker of the small device on Luke's wrist.

"I'm blockading the planet." Luke announced. "My fleet is exiting hyperspace now."

All eyes glanced to the sky to see at least six _Imperial-II_ class Star Destroyers accompanied by various other, smaller cruisers crawl into real space into Alderaan's orbit. Among the many dozens of ships, a very large ship blasted into the fleet's company last. Easily three to double the size of the other Destroyers.

The _Exactor II_ , the Prince's personal flagship. Only two of these _Tector_ -class Star Destroyers existed. The other; the _Imperitor_ was in Lord Starkiller's command.

Indeed, nothing could get passed the Prince's _Royal Enforcer Fleet_.

"It seems that all intel about whatever data General Skoche has given to the Rebels is lost." Like turned to the two Imperial agents.

 _"I'll be planet side by evening. The Emperor feels this situation warrants my presence."_

Luke's brow furrowed. "Do you agree?"

 _"Yes. You'll need my resources for this."_ Thrawn answered firmly, as if to curb any argument presented. _"It has been made clear to us that this particular situation shares qualities with our investigation into The Contingency."_

Had Ruryi and Riley not been agents trained to notice slight details, they would've missed the surprise that crossed the Imperial Prince's face. It passed quickly. "I... see." A sense of utmost seriousness filtered through his eyes.

 _"Your father has sent Agent 13 ahead of me. He will find the missing decryptions."_

Luke glanced around the floor in stunned concentration, mulling over why his investigation of the Rebel Alliance now warranted his father's direct attention. The Emperor was a very secretive man. He rarely got _this_ involved with any sort of investigation. "Tell me... how serious is this?"

A brief silence over the comms seemed to weigh down the air. _"Worse than we thought."_ The Admiral finally said. _"Continue your investigation, Prince Skywalker."_

Luke took in a short breath. "I'll see to it everything is prepared for your arrival."

Without another word, the transmission ended, leaving Luke in silent contemplation. He finally turned to the intrigued and confused agents beside him. "I've scanned briefly over your files. Chief Special Agent Riley Tyrus, you were recruited by the ISB from Military Intelligence's internal affairs."

The ISB agent nodded. "Sir."

"And you, Senior Special Agent Ruryi Jy'tha, you're the leading authority on forensic data analysis inside Imperial Intelligence, correct?" The Prince addressed the rather petite woman.

"Among other things, yes my Lord." She affirmed. "I'm also well versed in psychological analysis. I try and predict the actions one may take if provoked a certain way."

Luke regarded her for a short moment."Good. Effective immediately, you two will be placed under my authority." He announced, no hint of a joke in his tone. "You work for the High Command Security Force now."

Taken aback, both agents gave each other surprised glances as if to confirm what they were being told, and then turned their attention back to Luke who seemed to have completely shaken his previously concerned state off.

The Prince turned and made his way toward his shuttle, prompting the agents to follow. "You'll be briefed tomorrow on your new assignment. For now, Agent Ruryi, you and I are going to Aldera Palace. I want records and an analysis on all of Viceroy Bail Organa's financial dealings... in fact, I have a list of special interest targets I want financial analysis on."

Several... "Of course, sir... pardon my ignorance, but am I to forego a warrant?"

"Yes." Luke simply said. "Officially, you're a part of High Command Security... unofficially, you're an Agent of the Throne. We don't need the Court's approval. Only the Emperor's."

Agent of the Throne. Even within I.I. and the ISB, the group of extremely elite people known as Agents of the Throne was a mere myth. It was surreal not only having confirmation of their existence, but also being absorbed by them.

"Agent Tyrus, stay here." Luke said to Riley. "You'll be working closely with a man called Agent 13 to find the operative in possession of the decryption chip. He will brief you further on your mandate." Luke gave Riley a stone cold stare, stopping his pace for a moment. "Find that operative by any means necessary, Tyrus. _You_ are the law now."

The young agent felt his heart speed up out of both excitement and fear of failure. "Of course, My Lord."

— **\- - —**

From inside of Lord Vader's estate on Mustafar, the dark, red hues mixed with charcoal grays and pastel blacks seemed to make for an incredible view. Perhaps it was. Almost like watching a wildfire from a safe distance. Thick, black clouds of ash blocked out all light from Mustafar's sun, casting a large, planet-wide shadow over the volatile world that made the glowing, red lava contrast even more with the black landmass.

What some may see as a morbidly beautiful world, Starkiller saw it as a reflection of his Master. Violent and dangerous. A being who possessed an immeasurable potential for destruction with oceans of red hot rage living in harmony with hardened, black hatred. The Dark Side surrounded that power in place like the black atmosphere of Mustafar.

Most would never understand the incredible feat of how Darth Vader so masterfully controlled this raging power of anger and hatred, or how groundbreaking it was for him to so easily call upon it's power without being swallowed by the clouds. Not even Starkiller could accomplish this feat with the ease and precision of which his Sith Master did.

Breaking himself out of his rumination, Starkiller's mind came back to the situation at hand, waiting patiently for his subject to regain his mental capacity.

The former Governor Keth Tendoora squirmed against the interrogation table, his back arched like a deranged circus performer attempting to bend himself in half for his audience. His eyes gazing up into his own skull.

He was surprisingly resilient against the interrogation droid's serums.

Growing impatient, Starkiller used his powers to calm the man's mind down with a wave over Keth's forehead.

Almost immediately, Keth's body relaxed with the exception of heavy breathing. Given a moment to gather himself, the ex-Governor stared up at his interrogator with fire hot as Mustafar's rivers of molten rock.

Starkiller clasped his hands behind his back and walked back and forth steadily in an attempt to stay patient. The old man in front of him, firmly strapped to the table still managed to clearly hold his ground through a defiant eye. His other one was swollen, not completely shut, though nearly so. His lip was split and bleeding as well as a cut above his eyebrow. There were light burns that were patches of red irritation on his leathery skin. And despite the torture, he still did not give in.

Starkiller had already been in there for an hour. He so badly wanted wanted to crush this Governor's throat. If he'd learned anything it was that these types of traitors were very resilient.

"We'll start again." Starkiller spoke calmly. "What is your name?"

"Keth Tendoora." The elderly man said pridefully, putting up the same defiance as he had the first time he'd been through this routine.

"Who appointed you to the position of Governor?"

"Galactic Emperor Palpatine." His pride was still strong.

"You were presiding Moff over the Ojoster Sector, correct?"

"You are indeed perceptive, young one." Tendoora spat spitefully.

Starkiller stopped and glowered down at the former Governor. The urge to massacre this man brimmed at the surface of his rage. However, this Sith was more than capable of controlling his dark urges. So he continued. "You were alive during the Clone Wars. Tell me, did you serve?"

"Of course I did." Keth answered as if it were obvious.

"Then you probably have a good memory of the Jedi." Starkiller changed his tactics.

Keth frowned, unsure of where this was heading.

"You've probably seen them perform feats that border on the impossible. Or perhaps witnessed them knowing something they should never have been able to know." Starkiller's ominous gaze sharpened. "Almost as if they were reading your thoughts."

Keth's scowl remained. And that told Starkiller that he was correct.

The Sith rose a hand and made a quick fist. The floating, black orb that was the interrogation droid crumpled with a whine of metal gears and an electronic squeal. It fell to the floor in a loud clank.

"You're not the first member of the Shadow Council I've questioned. In fact, they're the reason I've been able to find you and get as far as I've gotten." Starkiller recounted. "Do you want to know how I broke them?" He darkly asked.

Tendoora's jaw tensed.

Starkiller smirked dangerously. "I tore their memories apart. I ripped the information from their weak, ignorant minds. Unfortunately, I couldn't save them from the side effects of my method. Their own brains overheated and cooked themselves." Starkiller let the comment linger for a moment before continuing. "I hear it's a painful ordeal. I hear your consciousness stays active for several minutes afterward. Your colleagues lived their final moments in a terror and pain they couldn't possibly have imagined." He said deliberately slowly.

Keth was breathing a bit heavier as his gaze glazed over with both fear and hatred.

"I can take that information, Governor." Starkiller said in a near whisper. "But I'm afraid you'll be subjected to a most painful death." Starkiller stopped and stared into the man's fear and hate filled eye. He drank it in. "Tell me, Governor, you like to experience the Dark Side?"

The aging man narrowed his eyes. Defiant to the last. "If you think I can be intimidated by the likes of a child, you are mistaken." Keth puffed his chest out. "I was a Governor to Galactic Emperor Palpatine! You do not frighten me, boy. I will not cave. Not even to your Master!"

Irritation and anger glowed through Starkiller's eyes. "I see. Then you're more foolish than I thought." He briskly turned toward the cell's exit. "You've just chosen your fate. And I assure you... you won't like it." The cell doors slid open and Starkiller spared the man a glance over his shoulder. "Lord Vader will be paying you a visit shortly."

Keth Tendoora felt a fearful chill.

The Sith Lord left without another word.

— _**\- - —**_

"My Prince, The Noble House of Organa is hailing us." The pilot called back from the cockpit as they made way toward Aldera Palace.

Luke nodded. "Send them through."

The hologram appeared on the table in front of where Luke was seated on the couch across Agent Ruryi Jy'tha.

 _"Young Lord Skywalker."_ The man on the other end greeted. " _My name is General Tesh of the Noble of the House of Organa. The Viceroy did not anticipate your arrival and is unfortunately unavailable to greet you this afternoon. He sends his gratefulness of your presence in the wake of such tragedy and and extends his home to you for the duration of your stay. Should you accept this invitation, a feast will be held in your honor tomorrow when the Viceroy returns."_

Pathetic. Sucking up was one thing Luke despised. "Where is the Viceroy?" He demanded.

 _"_ _In light of this tragedy,_ _Viceroy Organa_ _has_ _cut short_ _his extended retreat on Ralltir."_ The Noble answered. _"He is en route back to Alderaan."_

Luke's eyes narrowed. "And he just left?"

This change in Luke didn't go unnoticed by Ruryi. She watched the exchange with renewed interest.

" _Correct."_

Luke maintained his composure, not giving any outward indications of suspicion. He did it masterfully as well. "I accept the Viceroy's invitation. I'll conduct my business from his study."

" _Very well, Lord Skywalker. I will transmit landing codes immediately. The Queen herself will greet you with the company of the Princess to show you to your chambers."_

Luke severed the connection and then turned to Ruryi. "We have a Rebel asset in the field." he began. "He's a former Senator; Vir Zayan."

Realization came down on Ruryi. "Ralltir's representative during the Republic era."

"Yes." Luke confirmed. "He's been funneling marked credits into a Rebel Cell headed by a Jedi named Rahm Kota for us. Recently, Kota's Cell has joined a coalition the Rebels are calling the Alliance to Restore the Republic."

Ruryi's brow furrowed in thought.

"Vir Zayan has been privy on most of the Alliance's financial dealings. He's the reason we know about the transaction between General Skoche and the Rebels." Luke explained while he leaned over and pulled up a datapad that rested on the table between them. He fingered it on and handed it over to her.

"That decryption..." Ruryi muttered. She looked up at Luke. "It was never meant for the Sacred Way." She concluded without doubt.

"No. And the credits weren't provided by them either. This Rebel Alliance has made it clear that they don't condone the Sacred Way's methods. They distance themselves openly."

Ruryi began to connect some of the pieces. "Vir Zayan somehow knew of the trade between Skoche and whoever purchased the decryption..."

"Bail Organa-"

"Was just on Ralltir." Ruryi finished. "So this is why you want his financial dealings investigated."

Luke nodded.

"That data chip had at least one and a half billion Imperial Credits on it from what our scanners showed." Ruryi placed the datapad back on the table between them and crossed her legs. "That kind of money doesn't just disappear without someone noticing."

"Exactly." Luke affirmed. "Someone forged a report."

With a clearer direction in mind, Ruryi felt more confident in her mandate. "The list of people, you believe one of them was responsible for fronting this payment." She concluded. "And someone else covered for them."

"Someone within the Empire..."

— _**\- - —**_

Uncomfortable would be an understatement for sure. It wasn't the dress, that much she was sure of. It very well could've been the hair - her aunts always felt the need to do it up in some ridiculous fashion, she was only grateful that it didn't resemble a pretzel this time. Even if it could be the hair, she knew it wasn't. Not the shoes or the makeup. No, the feeling at the pit of her stomach that made her feel as if she was falling came from something completely different.

He was here.

To act as the face of the terrorist attack's investigation. She just wished her adopted father responsible for such a horrible act. Doubtful.

But she supposed that this meeting may have been delayed until both Luke and Leia were set in their ways.

But this… this was perfect!

Well, not perfect, but as close as she'd get to it.

"Mistress Leia, the Imperial Prince's shuttle is nearly here. It wouldn't do well to keep the Imperial Prince waiting."

She sighed. "I know, Threepio." It was times like this that she wished Luke had never been taken, at least she'd have someone to vent her frustrations and fears to.

She giggled at the irony of her telling him how nervous she was to meet him.

How absolutely terrified she was that he would be everything Obi Wan said that Vader was.

Twisted, dark, evil, corrupted…

She shook her head. No, there was no way. She refused to believe it.

She stood. "Time to meet my brother."

— _**\- - —**_


	2. Chapter 2: The Meeting

— _**\- - —**_

 **Chapter 2**

— _**\- - —**_

Anticipation coursed through the greeting party at Alderaan's Royal Palace Hangar. Laced with uncertainty and fear. The Imperial Prince had a reputation much like Starkiller's and the Emperor. The Emperor was cold, demanding and physically hated both Rebels and failures.

But, regardless of what she was anticipating, the Prince was here on business. Big time Imperial business. He was not to be trifled with, and the Queen had made that aspect clear as as a sunny day to those soldiers and Nobles here to greet the Prince. Any hints of suspicion on anyone, guilty or not, gave Prince Skywalker the grounds to detain and interrogate.

Basically meaning that if he didn't like you, he'd kill you and burn the Palace to the ground.

It was what the Empire did, after all.

She stood straight, hands clasped behind her back standing in the center of a small entourage of acclaimed Noble Household Heads. To her left stood Tesh Organa, a General of Alderaan's rather small military force, which they called the Noble Guard. He was the Military Liaison to the High Council. To his left stood his father; Gioni Organa who was the Vizier of Alderaan. To Leia's far right was Deara Antilles, her aunt and primary adviser to the woman to Leia's direct right.

Breha Organa. Queen of Alderaan and subsequently, the acting leader of Alderaan in Bail's absence.

All of these individuals lived in the palace, but were rarely seen together outside of important meetings. The Imperial Prince- well, more like the terrorism responsible for his presence, surely brought together the most important people on Alderaan.

Leia watched as the shuttle steadily docked in the Hangar bay, thoughts beginning to wander. She'd never seen Luke outside of the HoloNet, still images and a few videos of Emperor Vader speaking with Luke standing to his right. There were the few times that Luke held press conferences to address some sort of attack or investigation. Once and a while, he'd go to Senate hearings and explain a particular act of violence he'd committed - not like he'd ever be convicted of anything...

But Luke's public speeches were always so smoothed over, just like any public speech made by Vader or Starkiller. He was still very much a mystery to Leia.

She could still feel him as clear as day through the Force. He was hard to miss, and felt like a camp fire on Illum. She could sense his pent up aggression, the anger lay in wait like a sleeping monster hidden deep within just waiting to be released so it may devour everything it touched.

Another layer persisted inside of him, however. Something she couldn't really describe nor clearly sense… it was like a depraved hatred lurked in his subconscious. As if the very incarnate of evil found refuge deep inside of Luke's soul.

It terrified her the moment she noticed it.

Luke was strong to hide that so effectively.

As Luke's ship landed, she felt his presence reach out and scan those in the hangar. His heat almost physically burned her.

She could only frown. His anger was powerful enough to make her hope dwindle. This would be her only chance to prove Obi Wan wrong.

Luke was able to be saved, she just knew it.

Her thoughts were cut off by the hissing of the ship releasing its pressurized oxygen and the ramp lowering ever so slowly.

She cringed at the sight of four of the standard Imperial High Command escort; the Death Troopers. They always meant trouble.

But, instead of panic, she merely trusted herself to remain calm and vigilant. She did not train to become a Jedi Apprentice only to be discovered and captured this early into her career.

Leia's heart clenched as she saw the first glimpse of her estranged brother in eighteen years - not like she remembered him from that far back…

His blonde hair was slicked back, appearing a bit darker than she would've pictured, shaved on the sides. Like his father, he was dressed in black attire, leather gloves and boots, an unmarked officer's jacket over black pants, outfit covered with plates some sort of lightweight metal. Armor. The more she observed him, the more of it she saw covering his chest and shoulders. The Prince lacked the distinguished cape his father had, but the attire was generally the same. Metals were different, that much Leia could see. Luke opted for a more practical approach. Lightweight material that allowed freedom of movement.

And then there was the metallic cylinder hanging from his belt. The Prince's lightsaber. And in typical Royal fashion, it's design was spared no expense. She could recognize electrum from a mile away. She actually wished to see it up close. It looked like a wonderful piece of art.

If only it wasn't used to carry out such destruction.

She had to admit, Luke Skywalker was a handsome boy. She couldn't have been more proud of that aspect. In her daydreams, she pictured herself chasing off all of the sleazy girls who threatened to corrupt him. Her lips curled upward for a mere moment.

The smile was immediately wiped off of her face when she felt the Prince's gaze fall on her. She nearly blushed. He sensed her amusement instantly…

That shouldn't have been possible. She must've let her barriers slip.

Luke approached with a young woman walking by his side.

"Prince Skywalker." Her adopted mother came to the rescue. Breha walked slowly toward the Prince, bowing at the waist. "It's a pleasure to have you on the planet. If only the circumstances weren't so grave." She said forlornly.

Luke's gaze peeled away from Leia. "Don't worry, your Highness. My finest people are on this case. We'll find those responsible, I assure you." He smiled in a way that asked her to cheer up. He walked the rest of the way down the ramp. "You shouldn't have made my arrival a party."

The Queen merely chuckled. "I told them it would be too much," she playfully glanced at Leia "but the Princess insisted you be greeted with all the respect you deserve."

Luke's gaze found Leia's once more.

Her blush was well hidden, and then quickly abolished. She was Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan. She would not appear weak in front of anybody. Least of all her own brother.

She strolled forward, head raised high and smiled at the Prince. "Your Highness." She greeted with a tilt of her head.

Luke's eyebrow rose just a bit at Leia's reluctance to bow to him. His head tilted in suite. " _Your_ Highness." He smirked as if there was an inside joke between the two, which surprised her. So he had a sense of humor at least.

"The Princess will act as a liaison between your investigation and the Alderaan High Council." Breha explained. "General Tesh will provide you with any military support you should require." The Queen motioned for Luke to follow her out of the Hangar bay, and the two walked side by side with her entourage following closely. "You have our full support in finding and capturing the terrorists, however, your military interests cannot be backed by solely me without full disclosure." She glanced at Luke.

The Prince shifted slightly. "I am grateful for your cooperation, Your Highness." Luke began. "But unfortunately I'm bound to secrecy for the investigation's sake. I'm here on business for High Command at my father's request."

The Queen merely nodded. "That's unfortunate." She spoke. "I'm unable to provide the necessary resources for whatever this operation of yours entails without information on what exactly it has to do with Alderaan. All we wish, for now is that the terrorists responsible for this… this barbaric attack are brought to justice."

Luke figured as much. No matter how much his father tried to gain absolute control over the individual systems, they maintained their rights, and even with his position and status, Luke had no way of pulling strings as high up as Sectoral Governors. The Moffs were the only power in existence that could suspend planetary rights outside of his father. Even they had to explain themselves to the Senate. "I appreciate the thought. This operation has to be handled delicately as it is, I only ask that the local law enforcement works with me in this matter."

Breha turned to face forward as they continued to walk, now entering the main hallway of the Palace. As lavish as it was, Luke had to admire the craftsmanship. This planet was one of artists, it showed in their architecture. Elegance and beauty was the only way to describe the Royal Palace. "As long as their involvement will not infringe on our Constitution, you'll have their support, My Lord." Breha answered before coming to a stop. Luke's gaze fell back on her. "For right now, I suggest you acquaint yourself with your new environment." She smiled. "Tomorrow, the General will retrieve you so you may brief him on your plans."

Luke nodded. He motioned toward Ruryi. "Your Highness, this is my colleague, Senior Special Agent Ruryi Jy'tha."

The women exchanged nods of acknowledgment.

"Agent Jy'tha will be working closely with me on this matter. She will frequently act as my advocate."

The Queen smiled in understanding. "Very well, Prince Skywalker. Princess Leia will show you to your quarters and introduce you to the security staff. Bail has agreed to allow you to conduct your work from his study."

Luke glanced at Ruryi and motioned for her to start her work.

He bowed at the waist once more. "You've been very helpful and understanding. I am grateful. Together, well put an end to Rebel activity on your peaceful planet..." He trailed off for a moment, staring up the stairwell as a strange feeling washed over him through the Force. He shook it off. "I'll see to it Alderaan is given the proper credit for its role in this investigation, and rewarded accordingly." He turned back to her and gave a smile.

"Of course, My Lord. I leave you in the Princess's capable hands." She smiled, tilting her head as she spun around and began to leave, her entourage following save for the Princess and Luke's squad of Death Troopers.

Luke's attention turned back toward the stairs, the residual warmth through the Force barely wearing thin.

"Your Highness?" The Princesses voice snapped him out of his reverie.

He turned to her. "Apologies." That same smile formed on his lips. "After you. Your Highness."

A light smile appeared on her lips as she turned and began walking up the large staircase. Her nerves became frayed, she could sense Luke's eyes on her, his presence scanning her over. It was as if he wasn't trying to figure her out. She felt his presence lightly touch the barriers in her mind, and sudden curiosity shot through him.

The reached the top of the stairs in what seemed like the longest walk Leia had ever been on before mustering up the courage to speak. She cleared her throat. "Your quarters will be down the hallway from mine." She glanced at him before continuing.

"Oh, my! Imperial Prince Skywalker!" The golden protocol droid walked out of Leia's room at hearing the voices, and made its way toward the pair. The droid bowed politely. "It's a great pleasure to meet you, Your Highness! I am C–3PO; human-cyborg relations and personal servant to Princess Leia."

Said Princess sighed. Both she and Luke were embarrassed for her. "Thank you… Threepio…" She said, "That will be all."

"Oh, but Princess, I have yet to see to Master Luke's belongings." He protested.

"Then see to them." She irately snapped through her teeth.

"Of course, Princess. Master Luke, it was a pleasure to meet you." He bowed once more and began to walk passed Luke, pausing and staring up at Death Troopers for a moment. "Oh... goodness me!" He carefully stepped around the soldiers.

Luke just smiled, amused at the entire ordeal. "He certainly has character." Luke chuckled once the droid had left.

She sighed. "He's… special"

"A special protocol droid?" Luke asked with a smile.

Leia nodded. "He breathes down my neck."

Luke chuckled lightly. "That's not always a bad thing."

"Perhaps. We'll see how you feel in a few days." She playfully said.

They came upon his room and Leia stopped. "This is you quarters. My bedroom is the one at the end of the hallway," she pointed, "and the second floor security mainframe is directly across from me. They'll be monitoring-"

"That won't be necessary." Luke cut in. "My guard will be taking over security for my stay."

She glanced at the intimidating troops. "I see." She spoke warily.

With a light wave of his hand, the troopers shuffled passed Luke and Leia toward the mainframe room.

Luke's eyebrow rose, and she continued walking, presumably to the security room. "How old are you?" He asked, seemingly out of the blue.

She glanced at him, uncomfortable with the question for some reason. "Eighteen, My Lord."

"And already given such a responsibility." He muttered. "Liaison."

She only smiled awkwardly.

"So I assume we'll be together for the majority of my stay." His voiced froze over at that, and she stiffened.

"My Lord?" She asked, regretting it the moment it came out. Her feigned confusion didn't even feel real to her.

"Liaison." He repeated with a displeased tone. "It's just a polite way of saying you'll be keeping an eye on me." He said, voice still cold and unhappy with the development. "You're afraid of what I may do, or… who might upset me."

She turned to him. "I assure you, My Lord-"

He held his hand up. "Please don't patronize me. I'm not as easily fooled as those officers this Palace has dealt with." He motioned with that same hand for her to continue walking. "I don't like being deceived. It's insulting."

She inaudible sighed. "That was never our intention." She spoke matter-of-factly. "May I be frank, My Lord?" He nodded. "Alderaan is a peaceful planet. This attack has enraged and frightened many of us. A vote is being held once my father returns on whether or not to give you and your men access to the Noble Guard's resources." She explained. "We want to find these terrorists and put them to justice as much as you do."

Luke's head tilted and his eyes narrowed.

"My mother was only following protocol when she denied you full support. Until the voting has concluded, I will be present to convey Imperial interests to the Council where my mother has permission to approve or deny. Eventually you won't need me to convey your interests, but I will be reporting on what resources you do use."

"I see." It made sense to Luke now, why the Queen expected him to refrain from work for tonight and resume when the Viceroy returned. Only he could give Luke full legal clearance to commandeer the Alderaanian military for this operation. "I apologize for my assumption, Your Highness." He smiled lightly at her.

"Please, don't call me that." She smiled at him.

He chuckled. "Only if you stop calling me "My Lord." He returned.

"Deal. Just call me Leia."

"Luke."

She resumed her pace and he followed. "So, Luke, you were sent here on a different mission, correct?"

Luke nodded.

"What can you tell me about this mission of yours?"

"Not much, I'm afraid. Everything is need-to-know." He returned.

She smirked. "And I don't need to know."

He nodded. "Smart." He teased.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I figured as much. Something that warrants the attention of the Imperial Prince must be _terribly_ important."

Luke was surprised. She was mocking him. "Indeed." He simply responded. "If it wasn't terribly important, I'd send the help."

She glanced at him from the corner of her eyes, holding in a laugh.

He smiled in victory.

"I'm glad your people saw this threat enough to allow Alderaan's Noble Guard and High Council into openly working with me rather than against me."

She threw him a cautious look. "We are more than happy to oblige the Empire on serious security breaches and terrorist attacks." She quickly replied. "We only resist when we feel our rights are being infringed."

He gave her a very wary look, all traces of amusement gone. "Security breaches?" He quizzed.

She inwardly stiffened.

"What makes you assume my operation involves a security breach?" His voice was guarded.

She mentally berated herself at the slip up. She had to be more on guard with Luke. "You're... the head of the High Command Security Force. From what's been officially stated about Security Force's mandates to be, you're only deployed on missions pertaining to security breaches." She reminded with a slight smile. "Anyways, what else could possibly draw your direct attention to my planet other than a that? That's what your mandate is, right? Imperial security." She only hoped that was enough to throw him off.

He stared at her for a moment, his presence scanning her mind once more, searching for even a slight crack in her shields he could wiggle through. While that was a plausible observation on her part, something didn't feel right… "I suppose you're right." He finally said. "Shrewd observation." He praised.

"Hardly. I just have to to keep involved in politics if I want to be a Senator."

With a hiss, the door gave way to the room housing the security mainframe opened, and Leia's gaze moved upward.

Death Troopers escorted an all too familiar face and mop of auburn and gray hair with a beard to match. "Um-" She paled.

This move was brazen! How could he not tell her!?

Luke motioned for his troops to return to the mainframe.

"My Lord." The man bowed politely before turning to Leia and smiling in amusement. "I assume you're trying to introduce me to our guest?" The man asked. He turned to Luke, extending his hand. "The Princess seems to be so angry that she's gone into shock." He chuckled. Luke shook the man's hand. "My name is Ben, I'm the head of security for the whole Palace." Ben glanced over to Leia, who was now shooting the man death glares.

"What are you doing here?" She demanded through clenched teeth. "You were told the Prince's security team was taking over! Your presence is unnecessary!"

Luke was pressed to resist taking a step back at Leia's display of displeasure.

Ben arched an eyebrow. "Your father felt the safety of the Imperial Prince warranted my direct cooperation with his team." He elaborated. "It was a last minute post change, Princess, and I'm bound by his orders. I'm afraid you're stuck with me."

Leia's jaw clenched.

"Leia, it's fine." Luke spoke, only hoping he could calm her down. "I appreciate the concern. He'll be a great help to them."

She snapped out of her anger, gazing at Luke as if remembering he was there.

She sighed. "Sorry, Luke. I - I just hate being watched over like a treasure." She turned toward Ben. "Especially when my input is blatantly ignored."

"My presence will be invisible, My Lady and Lord, I assure you." Ben spoke, his smile ever present.

"See to it that it is." She glared.

"Prince Skywalker, the Viceroy has requested my full cooperation with you and your team. If I may make a formal request..."

Luke nodded.

"I would like to officially be placed on your team - in regards to the terrorist investigation. I've done a bit of searching myself, my skills and information may come of use to you."

Luke considered this for a moment. "Ben, was it?" The man nodded. "Present your findings to my agent. I'll have them vet you. Then we can talk about it."

"Of course, My Lord." Ben bowed. "Until then..."

Leia scowled at the man's back as he returned to the security room.

She envisioned this mess blowing up very quickly…

Ben - or Jedi Master Obi Wan Kenobi, rather - had better not be recognized or this entire ordeal would hit the fan very quickly. The last thing they needed was the Emperor to come here personally and force Leia and Obi Wan to flee the planet. That was the last thing she wanted!

And his being this close to Luke was dangerous. He could sense them if Obi Wan lost concentration for a second!

This was not good…

Not good at all.

— **\- - —**

Keth Tendoora had been alive for such a long time that he'd witnessed three wars and two regime changes.

He'd witnessed Count Dooku betray the Republic and dissent from the Jedi Order to fund a mass exodus of Republic planets, forming the Separatist Alliance, which in turn started a war that shook the Galaxy.

He witnessed Chancellor Palpatine use the war so delicately and find every loophole in the constitution to seize all the powers of the Senate and the Courts for himself in the name of "peace." He was present the day that the Senate cheered for the formation of an authoritarian Galactic Empire. He remembered being proud of his new Emperor.

He'd been in meetings with the likes of Anakn Skywalker - dubbed Darth Vader, Moff Tarkin and Raith Seniar to discuss the funding and the technological capabilities of a weapon meant to destroy entire planets. He remembered being terrified of the Emperor's vision, and simultaneously, grimly impressed. He remembered being angered with Lord Vader, who was staunchly opposed to this devastating weapon.

Keth had witnessed Darth Vader build a power base of loyal followers in the form of Moffs, General's and Admirals - even the Director General of the ISB with the intentions of overthrowing the Emperor.

And he was there when the Emperor finally addressed this coup once it was too late. Keth was part of the Emperor's Contingency should Vader succeed.

And then, the Emperor ordered that a base be built on a planet that was unknown to the Galaxy. In this base, the Emperor stored weapons of horror to quell the uprising that was sure to follow Vader's "failed" revolution.

Keth remembered being sick to his stomach at what he saw in that base. The experiments... the technology... it was all horrifying. And yet... so endearing. The Emperor Palpatine saw passed the limitations of humanity and was willing to take measures no other person was willing to do.

Keth witnessed Lord Vader maneuver through the Empire very cleverly and orchestrate the circumstances for his Master's demise aboard the half-finished Death Star.

The following events were cleverly thought out.

His power base was placed in strategic positions to instantly de-militarize all of Palpatine's loyal pawns part of his contingency plan, even Keth was forced to relinquish his fleets. He addressed the Senate at weapon point, practically, and stated his reasonings for killing the Emperor.

Files from the ISB, assets spying on Palpatine's lackys and gathering an abundance of information on the Death Star. Information on the illegal ring of slavery the Emperor was using to build this monstrosity, and the funding received from the Black Sun. He revealed Palpatine's treachery regarding the Clone Wars, and had gotten physical evidence in the form of an old, mobile holo-table used by Viceroy Gunray that held a conversation detailing plans to start the war. He ousted conspirators and loyal pawns who got rich off of the wars, corporations who became giants because of it. And in a moment of humility, Darth Vader even admitted his involvement, and his naivety for being manipulated so easily.

The following weeks, Keth witnessed the Galaxy side with Darth Vader overwhelmingly.

Keth lived in fear afterward. He was part of the very few member of Palpatine's Contingency that wasn't immediately found out.

Both Keth and the members of the Shadow Council, those of Palpatine's inner circle tasked with carrying out the Contingency, found it best for Keth to disappear with the knowledge he had of the Emperor's Storehouse and continue to operate it from a safe distance.

Keth stayed silent about this secret base. He would die with it if need be.

And he continue. He and his family disappeared and lived comfortably for several years on a humble planet in humble village. He continued his work from there.

He always knew Lord Vader would try and find him and punish him as part of the Contingency. He knew if Vader found out about the Emperor's Storehouse, he would move to use those terrible weapons in the secret base.

He'd prepared for this.

Keth Tendoora wasn't lying when he told the young Sith Lord Starkiller that he wasn't afraid of him. Keth had stared into the eyes of Emperor Palpatine. He had witnessed death on a catastrophic scale. Treason and conspiracy. He had been captured once by Count Dooku long ago.

A mere child did not possess the ability to scare Keth Tendoora.

However, a dark feeling swept across the former Governor when the door to his interrogation cell hissed open. Two black armored troopers came inside and stood opposite each other, flanking the doorway.

The room felt like it physically darkened.

His steps were swift and filled with purpose. The thick, black cape over his shoulders flowed after him and then came to a calm rest at his calves when he came to a stop just inside the doorway. His blue eyes were like a frozen tundra, but they bore through Keth's skin like fire. His handsome, distinguished face took on an unnerving feel as it was set in a deep scowl.

Keth realized... Darth Vader definitely wasn't like the boy.

His posture said everything Keth needed to know. _He_ was in charge here.

The Dark Lord gave the impression that he cared not for Keth's life. That he'd get what he needed no matter what the outcome was.

This man was indeed a leader. A fierce warrior. A terrifying foe.

Vader stepped forward and the door slid closed. "Governor Keth Tendoora." His voice was commanding as ever. He lacked the dark menace that the boy had, instead, his voice was filled with such justified confidence and a frightening charm. "You seem... unsettled." Vader taunted ever so lightly.

Keth couldn't even deny it. In fact, unsettled was putting it lightly. "Darth Vader." The former Governor held his own admirably. "What is it you wish to accomplish? I've nothing to tell you."

Vader stood resolute, staring at the man coldly. Uncaringly. "You would do well to remember what is at stake, General."

"Death does not frighten me, my friend. My life is no leverage against me."

"You assume too much." Darth Vader's eyes darkened. "You've left yourself vulnerable."

Keth watched as Vader walked passed the table in a steady pace. "Your thoughts. They linger on your family."

"I have no family." Keth firmly stated.

Vader glanced at Keth from his side.

"They died years ago."

The Dark Lord's silence was unnervingly tense.

He stood in front of Keth and gave a slight motion with his hand. A screen unlatched from the ceiling. The screen turned on.

Terror gripped the old Governor's heart.

There, in a dimly lit cell sat his wife and daughter chained to the floor, mouths covered with black cloths and both of their faces flushed red, eyes puffy and trailing tears down their cheeks.

How could this be!? He watched them escape!

"Don't to lie to me again." Vader lowly warned.

Keth frowned.

"I won't harm them." He added simply. "So long as you cooperate."

The aging man couldn't think properly through the shock that pulsated through his mind like a pounding bass drum. "How... how did-"

"That is irrelevant." Vader swiftly cut in.

Keth shook his head in disbelief. This was too surreal to be true. Like a vivid nightmare.

He then remembered the little speech Vader's apprentice had given...

 _Your colleagues lived their final moments in a terror and pain they couldn't possibly have imagined._

"No..." He shook his head, his eyes widened as desperation overcame him. He yanked on his restraints as he saw the boy slowly walk toward his family. "No!"

Keth Tendoora thrashed violently, tugging and pulling at his restraints, lunging and shifting in every direction.

"No! Run! Mina, RUN!" His scream of desperation was loud, shrill almost.

A volatile presence flooded the room.

Keth suddenly struggled for breath, his mouth opening wide, trying desperately to pull any oxygen in. His throat constricted and the restraints on the table vibrated.

Vader held his hand out almost lazily, his fingers curled inward.

And then, Keth's throat was released.

The Emperor's hand fell to his side.

Keth took in a much needed breath and coughed at the rough scratch in his throat.

"It is pointless to resist, Governor." The Dark Lord's tone felt, still so commanding and powerful. Still so confident.

Keth's eyes finally left the screen. Hate flooded his vision. "You deplorable creature!" He hissed out, words dripping with rage. "If you kill them, you will get _nothing_ from me." He declared. "Do you hear me?! _Nothing_!"

"It is unwise to test me." Darth Vader retorted. "I do not make idle threats." He warned darkly. "You will tell me what I want to know or be responsible for your family's death."

Keth tugged at his restraints.

Vader's gaze lingered on his angry, reddened face for a long moment.

The Dark Lord turned. "So be it."

Keth's panicked eyes quickly went to the screen.

His wife and daughter's sobs seemed to stop, then pain overcome their expressions. Like his had moments ago, their faces and necks strained. Their eyes opened impossibly wide. His wife was the first to topple on her side, unable to grasp at the invisible force choking her. Mina soon followed.

"No..." Keth muttered. "No! Stop this! This is madness!"

Vader's chin rose while he squeezed Keth's family.

Tendoora thrashed in his restraints. "Vader! Enough! Stop this now!" The man screamed.

A moment later, he released them and gazed at the Governor.

They squirmed for a moment, coughing and convulsing from the pain they just endured.

"You're willing to cooperate?" The Dark Lord ominously asked.

"Yes! Yes!" Keth immediately shouted. "Just don't hurt them!"

"C-28." Vader spoke.

Keth's eyes widened. "What did you just say?"

"C-28." The Emperor repeated deliberately slowly.

Conflict burned in the Governor's eyes.

"C-28." Vader again said. "Tell me what it is."

"I-I..." Keth stumbled over his words. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Vader's face darkened considerably. "Is that so?"

"Lord Vader! I don't know what C-28 is!"

Keth's head suddenly smacked against the metal interrogation table with a loud thud. Vader leaned in close, his eyes burning red and yellow. "You're wearing my patience, Tendoora." The words were laced with clear irritation and hot rage. Though still an ominous calm. "The more you struggle, the worse this gets for you. I want to know what C-28 is and what it has to do with the Sacred Way Rebels!" The Dark Lord snapped.

Sudden pressure seemed to squeeze Keth's mind. It built rapidly and turned into a deep claw that dug itself right into his brain.

"Who!" Vader demanded seemingly out of the blue.

A scream tore through his throat. His scream died into a series of chokes and gurgles while he convulsed on the table. Once more, his eyes rolled into his skull. Saliva spat from his mouth.

It was over as quickly as it had begun, and Keth's head fell, his vision blurred dangerously and his chest heaved to ease the fire in his lungs.

Vader swiftly turned to address the guards with a nod. The door hissed open moments later revealing Starkiller. "Gallius Rax commissioned C-28 for Sidious. It's in the hands of the Sacred Way. Find out what it is and destroy it."

"What of Rax?"

"Leave him to me."

The apprentice nodded and turned away. The door shut tight.

"You will never win..." Keth struggled to even speak. He strained to raise his head and glare. "You cannot stop what is coming for you." The man exhaustedly mumbled.

A small, satisfied smirk peeked through Vader's emotionless expression. "We shall see."

Keth's attention went to the screen with Vader's.

"No..." His strength seemed to return, at least somewhat.

The Emperor rose his hand.

"No- NO!"

Keth watched his wife and daughter begin to stiffen once more.

"NOOO!"

The women thrashed on the floor, bodies twitching violently.

A primal, desperate scream echoed loudly through the room. Even passing stormtroopers stiffened in fear at the sounds they heard from inside that room.

And Keth could only watch, helpless to act. He struggled with every ounce of strength his old muscles could conjure.

And then... Vader's hand closed in a tight fist.

Keth's family's struggling stopped altogether.

Keth sobbed quietly. His hope falling with his tears.

"Why? Why, why, why?" He mumbled incoherently. "What have you done?" Despair filled his eyes as he gazed at Vader, tears streaming down his face. "Why?"

"To further weaken your resolve." Vader obliged in the darkest tone Keth had heard from a the man.

Vader walked to the door. It opened for him.

"They did not deserve this..." He sobbed, head dropping as he cried. "Please... please kill me..."

The Dark Lord glanced over his shoulder. "You will die." He assured darkly. "Only after your usefulness has worn off."

Keth stared at the man in pure disbelief.

Darth Vader left the room. The Death Troopers followed.

He left Keth utterly speechless as the door slammed shut behind him.

— _**\- - —**_

Night had fallen on Alderaan bringing a light snowfall, and with it came the chill of winter. The Palace was quiet, tranquil even through the Force despite the urgency of this mission. Luke resigned himself to his quarters only an hour or so earlier, making use of Leia's Threepio droid to bring him his evening meal. He ate as he scanned over what he'd learned so far of the mission on his datapad, his eyes barely leaving the screen, only to shower and dress for bed. Even then, he sat with the lamps on, leaning against the bed rest staring wearily into the screen.

With the death of Roahin Skoche, their best lead was all but lost. He only hoped Tyrus came up with something they could use.

On the bright side, It was only the first day. Something would come up. Luke was sure of it.

The Imperial Prince sighed heavily.

He needed sleep.

Or meditation.

Or both.

Pushing himself back up, he placed his datapad on the nightstand and removed the undershirt he was in. Crossing his legs, his eyes closed, allowing his body to relax with a deep breath and the Force to sweep him up. His negative feelings would charge this meditation; anticipation, frustration and anger. He never lingered too far into the Dark Side. That never yielded positive results in his past, but he needed more focus and clarity. So he used it this time.

His mind swept through this palace, he found himself mapping the entirety of it, and pinpointing its occupants, memorizing each unique presence in the Force.

It seemed Leia was already asleep - along with most of the Palace's residence. Only his Death Troopers, the night guard and the General were still awake. But, he found himself drawn quickly to the Princess. Her presence in the Force was vibrant, warm and soft. Brushing against her mind, he once more found himself blocked by her impeccable shields. For someone with no Force Sensitivity, her will was like an iron wall. Even if she was Senstive, even his father would find a hard time breaking her. Her will was so strong that she unwittingly blocked out Luke's gentle prodding, whereas with most people, he could easily find kinks in their armor. Every person he'd met so far, he'd been able to read their foremost thoughts quite easily.

Just not Leia. She was interesting, that was for sure. Qualities he was able to see almost immediately were her passion for her beliefs, especially apparent in the way she defended her planet so quickly. She wasn't too keen on him, or the Empire, apparent in how she refused to fully bow to him upon his arrival like the rest. She had the audacity to look at him and inwardly laugh at something.

He wasn't offended, he was intrigued. It was refreshing, actually, meeting a girl his age of Noble descent who had a mind of her own, not blindly bowing and yearning for his affection. In fact, it was refreshing to even meet just someone who didn't see him for his position and title. She wasn't impressed with him. He liked it, because he was impressed with her either.

Her shrewd observations were a welcomed trait. Especially if she was to keep an eye on him during this operation. He could use her talents. She was obviously very observant, he could sense her intelligence from a mile away.

Maybe including her wasn't such a bad idea. Maybe even her head of security-

Security...

Luke's eyes opened at the thought. That guy - the head of Palace Security - he was nowhere in the Palace, where he should be. Ben, was it?

Suspicion creeped on the young Prince. Did he purposefully leave his post? If so, why? And why wouldn't his troopers report this?

His eyes moved to the door, curious suspicion peeked and rising steadily. His lightsaber was in his hand as he stood up from the bed and slowly walked toward the door, senses alert for any sort of danger - as completely unlikely as it was.

Why wasn't this Ben guy at his post? Was this simply incompetence? Or was this Ben guy up to something?

With the Force, he slowly and silently opened the door, stepping out into the dark hallways, staring down the hallway where the dark blue lights of the security room flooded the hallway with dim lights.

Then, a shadow strolled across the lights.

Luke's heart beat rose slightly in chest as Ben's head peaked out from the doorframe, and stared right at him.

 _What!?_ Luke's eyebrows furrowed as pure confusion set on him. This man - Ben - was _completely_ invisible in the Force! Something Luke was told only highly trained Force users could accomplish.

Ben walked slowly toward Luke. "Something wrong?" His face was concerned, and Luke felt nothing through the Force, further surprising him.

For a living, breathing human being to be completely devoid of this was indeed insane. The creep of cold paranoia began to crawl up his spine.

The possibility of fighting a Jedi powerful enough to conceal his presence completely and still have the will to move freely was... actually, it was exciting.

Luke's grip on his saber tightened.

For Organa to so brazenly keep a Jedi as his head of security... to showcase him so openly in front of Luke was bold. Insulting even.

Unless Ben was here to assassinate him. Foolish as it was.

Luke's excitement rose at the challenge.

His fist squeezed the hilt of his blade, white knuckled. He would be damned before being unprepared in the face of a Jedi.

Blood red splashed ominously against the walls with an almost painfully loud snap-hiss.

The Death Troops piled out of the room, SE-14r blasters instantly trained on the man.

Fear flashed in Ben's eyes. "Woah-woah!" His arms rose in protest.

Luke's blade angled right at the man. "Who are you?" He quizzed, eyes narrowed.

"I- what?"

Luke's grip tightened. "Don't lie to me." Luke warned in a low tone. "Who are you?" His eyes narrowed dangerously.

"I-I'm Benjamin Thule of the house of Thule!" Ben quickly stammered. "Head of Palace Security for Princess Leia Organa - you know this!"

Luke scowled.

"It- it's true, I assure you!" Ben stammered, more confused than he was scared.

"You have no presence in the Force. Only myself, Jedi and Sith have the ability to disappear in the Force." Luke accused. "I _know_ sensed you earlier." He stalked a step forward.

"What?" Ben asked, tossing Luke an incredulous look.

" _Do not lie to me_ , Jedi." Luke's voice steeled over in cold, threatening warning.

"My Lord- I'm no Jedi, or... Sith, I assure you!" Ben stated. He lowered his hands very cautiously. "I'm going to reach behind my neck, and show you."

Luke only glared as Ben slowly reached back, pulling something. And suddenly, there it was. Ben's presence now radiated through the Force leaving Luke incredibly confused as Ben showed him a small device. "It's called an Evap Module - the late Emperor Palpatine developed it in the Empire's early years to help troopers to sneak up and ambush Jedi." Ben explained, a clear cautionary edge in his voice. "After the Jedi attack on this Palace, the Viceroy was given security clearance by Grand Moff Kazic to equip his security staff with them."

The Evap Mod flew into Luke's hand. Such a simple looking mechanism; a mere disk shaped thing with a short needle protruding when pressed down on.

Luke eyed the device, his own suspicion slowly dwindling, but his anger at his father rising. He'd read about the Jedi's attempt to kidnap the Princess sixteen years ago.

"It didn't even occur to me to explain its uses to you, for that I apologize, it's merely a precaution in these dangerous times." Ben continued.

Luke peered at Ben. "Is this the only one?"

"No... there's a case of them in the armory."

Luke's jaw tensed. "Bring them to me."

Ben only nodded, releasing a breath of his own.

" _Never_ use these in my presence." The Prince suddenly took on a look that mirrored the dangerous side of his father. "Are there anymore surprises I should know about?" Luke harshly quizzed.

"None. I deeply apologize, My Lord."

He stared at Ben for a moment. "Return to your post." He ordered, his lightsaber extinguishing.

Ben nodded, cautiously turning to the troopers who lowered their weapons. All moved to resume their post save for one troop.

Luke shook his head.

"Did you know about these!?" He asked in a hiss to the shadow armored man.

"No, My Lord." The gargled electronic voice said.

Luke frowned. "Bring me all available information on them."

The troop saluted dutifully.

— _**\- - —**_

"You look tired."

Luke stared at the Princess, definitely not amused. Dressed for the day and ready to begin his preliminary investigation, he followed his guide through the palace with his black armored guard following. A lot was on his mind without the Princess mocking him. He walked briskly passed her. "When does the Viceroy return?"

She matched his step. "This evening."

"And the vote?"

"It's scheduled to commence immediately upon his return."

He nodded curtly, only wishing he had the clearance to brief General Tesh and figure out exactly what Alderaan knew about this situation. Apparently that was going to have to wait.

"A few Imperials arrived this morning, said they worked for you. Ben escorted them to the conference room." Leia said.

Luke frowned at the mention of Ben. "Lead me to the conference room."

She eyed him curiously. "No breakfast?"

Luke didn't even answer.

She merely shrugged. "After the meeting my mother suggested I show you gardens. Be a good place to think." She said. "Maybe relieve some tension."

Luke glanced at her, nodding once. He could use some peace and quiet.

The conference room was just a short distance away, and the short journey was spent in silence. It was very clear to Leia that Luke's encounter with Ben the night before kept him up. He was probably thinking of all the ways they could be used against the Empire.

She left it alone, hopefully the gardens cleared his mind.

It was strange for her to see so many Stormtroopers in her home, she counted thirty so far, flanking corridors and the conference room, and sensed more inside and around the Palace.

It was as if they were taking over.

As they neared the room, Luke motioned for Leia to fall back, to which she complied.

The Stormtroopers opened the door for Luke, and quickly closed them.

Leia shook her head. Thus far, she sensed anger only typical frustrated and stressed men - on the surface. Despite being rather blindsided last night, he kept his cool. A statement, really, showcasing the control he had over his inner rage.

Unfortunately - for Ben - her temper was not as easily controlled.

Briskly and purposefully, she left, making her way to the security room where her disguised Master resided.

As usual, he was keeping his disguise up, monitoring the screens.

" _You_ almost blew it." She began with an accusing finger pointed at him.

His gaze remained on the screens. "Calm yourself, Padawan." He answered. "I underestimated his deductive skills. A mistake, to be honest."

"Make sure it doesn't happen again." She ordered haughtily. "We may have only this one chance."

A smirk appeared on his lips. "I see my facade has gotten to your head, Apprentice." He turned to her.

She sighed sheepishly with a shake of her head. "I- didn't mean to order you..."

Ben rose a hand. "It's fine, Leia. I understand your urgency. Don't let doubt cloud your judgement. That will be the fatal mistake."

She nodded. "Yes, Master."

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "I fear I may have been wrong about young Luke. He seems much more tame... than his father."

"Our father." She corrected swiftly.

"Anakin Skywalker is your father, Leia." He retorted. "And you are as wise and powerful as he once was. But as impatient as well. Be mindful of your thoughts, Padawan. We must approach Luke with grace and understanding of we are to save him from darkness."

She nodded once more, releasing her anxieties with a small sigh.

Ben smiled at her, squeezing her shoulder before turning back to the monitors.

"You seem troubled, Master."

Ben placed his fingers on his chin, slowly stroking his beard. "I sense something..." He looked out of the window. "...elusive. Great darkness is approaching." He muttered. "Be vigilant."

— _**\- - —**_


	3. Chapter 3: Loose Ends

— _**\- - —**_

 **Chapter 3**

— _**\- - —**_

"Gallius Rax."

The holo of Grand Moff Tarkin's lips pursed in thought at what Starkiller had just told him. _"He's a very influential person in the Navy."_

Starkiller was on the bridge of his _Tector_ -class Star Destroyer. It had been cleared for the sake of this transmission. "Lord Vader pulled the information from Keth Tendoora's mind directly."

 _"We need concrete evidence. The Senate and the Courts will not act based simply off of Lord Vader's powers. That is purely anecdotal in their eyes. Merely the Emperor's 'intuition'."_

"Lord Vader has much to do here still." Starkiller's brow furrowed. "I'm already acting outside of Military Command. Would it be plausible if I personally detained Rax for my Master to question?"

 _"And risk discovery?"_ Tarkin chided. _"As I said, Admiral Rax is a very powerful man. He holds more influence than_ you _, Starkiller. He won't take your barging in and detaining him with no grounds lightly. This requires discretion, a trait you and the Prince rarely seem to display."_

As much as an insult that was, it was also the blatant truth.

Starkiller sighed in frustration. "What do I do?"

 _"You do as you're instructed and find this... C-28 weapon."_ Tarkin sharply said. _"Don't try and exceed your mandate as you interpret it. Let Lord Vader handle Gallius Rax. You discover the connection between him and the Sacred Way."_

Starkiller nodded reluctantly.

 _"Go to Alderaan. I will contact the Grand Admiral personally."_

— **\- - —**

Luke ignored the occupants of the conference room as he walked to the head of the table, placing his datapad down before eyeing each member present. Five in total with the additions of Admiral Thrawn and another man in a seat next to Riley. Deadly looking, this man had a no-nonsense feel about him. His dark hair was slicked completely back, cheekbones sat high and his light blue eyes were sharp as a vibroknife. He wore a long, slim coat and a custom, heavy pistol rested in a holster on his hip.

Luke gave the man a nod. "Agent 13."

"My Lord." The man's equally sharp, core accented voice greeted.

The Death Troopers flanked the inside of the doors.

Luke glanced at the agents. Ruryi nodded. "The room is secure."

The Admiral addressed the the room. "Approximately seven weeks ago, General Roahin Skoche requested a leave of absence from his duties." The Chiss's voice was always low, thoughtful and rather unnerving. He spoke slowly, and clearly. "Sometime between then and two weeks ago, the General gave the Sacred Way a means to attain classified files from an Imperial database." Thrawn informed. "A forged code cylinder."

"Wait... forged?" Riley questioned, leaning forward as his interest peaked. "That would take someone of a very high ranking to pull off. The Rebels can't have created one themselves."

"Precisely, Agent." The Admiral confirmed. "Allow me to make our mandate clear to the newest inclusions in this investigation. As you know, the late Emperor Palpatine was killed by Lord Vader's 501'st Legion aboard a machine called the Death Star 7 years ago. Before his death, our former Emperor formed a group of powerful men. The Shadow Council." Thrawn revealed. "This council's duty was to carry out what is called The Contingency in the name of Palpatine. Lord Vader is very much aware of this plan, however, the Shadow Council has maintained secrecy for the last 7 years. We only know the identities of three members as of now. General Skoche was one, a former Regional Governor in hiding called Keth Tendoora..." The Chiss paused for a moment as if preparing the table for what was next. "And Fleet Admiral Gallius Rax."

Riley's brow furrowed. Ruryi's eyes widened slightly. And even Luke glanced worriedly at the Grand Admiral.

 _"If this is true, this jeopardizes everything..."_ General Feorin Flex stated through the holo transmission.

"Indeed it does, General." Thrawn acknowledged.

"I've worked closely with Admiral Rax when I was in Military Intelligence's internal investigations..." Riley shook his head in slight disbelief. "Several times. We've rooted out more than one traitor together, are you completely sure?"

Thrawn rose a rather disapproving eyebrow. "The Emperor himself has informed me of this."

Luke sighed at the weight of the situation. "My father never shares information as fact unless he's seen confirmation of it himself." He said. "And he's never wrong."

"Which means this Contingency has deep, dangerous roots." Ruryi concluded.

Thrawn nodded his approval. "We have reason to believe the Sacred Way Rebel Cell is in league with the Shadow Council in one form or another." He continued his briefing. "And now that you fully understand the gravity of this situation, I expect you to take your duties with the utmost seriousness. Our most pressing concern is to find out what was on that database. We will operate under the assumption that the General's decryption software as well as the stolen files are now in the hands of the Sacred Way."

"Forged or not, clearance codes used to access any secure database via code cylinders are catalogued and sent to the Scarif's security complex." Ruryi thoughtfully said. "I propose we send for a list of used security codes."

"Legal access to that complex is closely watched." 13 reminded her. "With people like Gallius Rax watching, requesting an official list will undoubtedly be reported to the Fleet Admiral. If not immediately, then shortly after."

"Good observation, Agent." Thrawn praised. "What is your solution?"

"Kro'vect will find out what information is on those stolen files."

Thrawn gave a small smirk.

 _"Who is this... Kro'vect?"_ Feorin quizzed skeptically.

Luke addressed the holo. "Kro'vect is another of my father's Agents of the Throne."

 _"And you trust this man to get this information undetected?"_

"Without the slightest of doubts." Thrawn assured confidently.

Feorin couldn't question someone that Grand Admiral Thrawn held in such high esteem. Very- _very_ few people could impress him.

"We now focus our agenda on the decryption chip." Thrawn said. "The information of the sale you two acted on to prevent was given to us by a High Command Security Force asset." Thrawn glanced over Ruryi and Riley. "Vir Zayan; the former representative for Ralltir." Thrawn continued. "He has been funneling money for us to track."

"Viceroy Organa is currently returning from Ralltir." Luke added. "We attained this information from Zayan just after Organa arrived on the planet."

"So it can be assumed that Organa was the intended destination of this decryption." ISB Agent Rylie Tyrus finished for Luke.

"I do not believe so." Thrawn countered. "The Sacred Way was always meant to have this information." He revealed, much to the surprise of the whole room. "To throw them off of our scent, we will openly keep an eye on Bail Organa."

"I'll take charge of that." Agent Ruryi said, her gaze moving between Luke and Thrawn. She brushed a blonde lock out of her face. "I can get eyes and ears on him within the hour."

"If your surveillance was somehow leaked to Organa, It could buy us some time if he is actually this decryption chip's final destination." Rylie chimed in. "He's been suspected to be involved with the Rebellion for years now."

"That will not due." The Admiral disapproved.

Riley stared up at Thrawn, confused.

"It was always the intent of the Sacred Way to stage an attack in order to secure the decryption." The Admiral clasped his hands behind his back. "This removes the possibility of any information we may find on Scarif to trace back to them, their leadership or their allies. I suspect General Skoche's execution served to silence him permanently. Perhaps not even he knew of the Sacred Way's involvement. The forged code cylinder will be registered in his name. Of that, I am sure of." He confidently stated. "Nevertheless, focus on finding that decryption chip. Have you anything to report?"

Riley sat up. "Regarding the attack, actually, there is one thing worth reporting."

Thrawn took a seat and folded his hands on the table.

"The Sacred Way's weapons used in the attack are not sold anywhere in the Galaxy that we know of yet." The ISB Agent explained. "Yet, given their design choice, it seems as though they're manufactured with standard issue production in mind."

"Prototype military weapons." Luke replied. "Consult with Director Krennic before jumping to any conclusions."

"Yes, my Lord."

Luke then turned to the Chiss. "Admiral, the Noble Guard's resources could still prove to be valuable. I want to use them."

"A disposable army and a good cover for our true intentions." Thrawn approved.

Luke nodded then turned to Ruryi. "You'll act as the face for this. I want to consider the Princess's head of security as a consultant. His name is Benjamin Thule."

"Yes, Sir."

"And... keep an eye on him." Luke added guardedly. "I sense something strange from him."

Ruryi dutifully nodded. "I'll keep him close, my Lord."

 _"I don't trust the Noble Guard."_ General Feorin Flex's holo stated rather firmly. _"_ _Alderaan has always sympathized with the Rebellion. My suggestion is to include them as little as possible. I can commission a task force from the Senate_ _Intelligence_ _Committee with clearance from Governor Kazic."_

"That is unnecessary." Agent 13 suddenly admonished in a tone that dripped in distaste. "You may be on that committee, General, but _they_ are not to be trusted. I won't have them blundering about with their noses in our business."

Flex gave the Agent a very clear, displeased glare.

The Grand Admiral regarded the Agent for a moment and then nodded his agreement. "Involving the bureaucracy will cause friction. And I _dislike_ friction." His eyebrow rose to emphasize his own distaste.

"13, keep the Noble Guard under close scrutiny." Luke ordered, earning a nod from Thrawn.

"If they know something, they won't be able to hide it from me." 13 stated assuredly.

— _**\- - —**_

Luke couldn't figure out why he was having such a hard time enjoying his surroundings, the peace and tranquility seemed to flood Leia into silence, she even had a small, contented smile. Perhaps it was his mind moving faster than his father's Advanced TIE, conjuring all kinds of sinister plots and potential leads, most of which admittedly was his own imagination running rampant. He released a deep breath as subtle as possible, trying desperately to ease the tension that constricted his entirety. It didn't help.

He did have to admit, this garden - more like a forest - was quite possibly the most peaceful place he'd been in quite some time. Native Alderaanian flowers of various colors surrounding the most beautiful arrangements of trees and large fountains. Perhaps if he wasn't so preoccupied with this investigation, he'd stop and actually enjoy this place. It seemed like the perfect place to meditate.

He stopped his train of thought. Jedi meditation may actually do some good in this situation.

He nodded to himself, as if confirming his own thoughts. Leia giggled.

His attention turned to her. "Do I have something on my face?" He asked, breaking the silence.

"What?"

He just shrugged. "That's the second time you've laughed at me in twenty four hours."

She smiled. "You're just a funny person."

He shook his head with a smirk. "Maybe you're just too bold."

Her smile only widened. "More good traits of mine."

He chuckled at the response. "You sure think highly of yourself." He glanced at her playfully. "Boldness can get you into trouble."

"Maybe. I think it refreshes you." She said.

"I can't deny that." He replied. "You know how the life of Royalty feels."

"You're talking about all the posturing and the masks people hide behind when they're around me, you'd be spot on."

Luke huffed his amusement. "The regular suck-ups." He muttered.

"I imagine the life of as Darth Vader's son makes it a bit easier to deal with."

He shook his head. "You'd be mistaken." Luke responded in amusement. "That just makes them scared suck-ups. It's like they think I demand respect without having earned it. Once people saw the power of the Force, everything just became a contest to see who can get on my good side. Like they were going to die if they didn't have my favor."

She stopped her pace, gazing down at a particularly large flower. "Can you blame them?" She asked. He glanced curiously down at the flower. "You three have openly showcased incredible power. And... the High Command Security Force isn't exactly known to show mercy."

Luke merely shrugged. "We do what needs to be done. My father may have promised transparency to the Senate, but that doesn't mean we'll pull punches for their sake."

"I suppose."

"Our approval rating is high, regardless. We produce results. Our job is to protect the Empire, and we'll do it by any means necessary."

"That sounds very... I don't know... narrow minded?"

He glanced at her curiously.

She shook her head lightly. "Maybe I'm narrow minded one. I mean, I can't expect every flower to be harmless, or to even smell good like most people do. I guess that's just something I have to remember."

He smiled at her analogy. "People aren't as black and white as you may see them, Princess. Like sentient beings, that flower is exactly as the Force wants it to be, only that flower can't wasn't given the choice to smell good. It wasn't given the gift of free will."

Her eyebrow perched. "As the Force wants? If that were the case, then each and every living creature is as the Force intends."

"Like we're all slaves to the Force?" Luke queried. "That implies that we don't have free will."

She chuckled and stood up to meet his gaze. "No, not slaves. More like..." Leia paused. "Well, like the Jedi, I guess. Didn't the Jedi believe in destiny? We were all put here to carry out the Force's will?" She asked curiously.

"Hence why they're dead." Luke stated. "The Jedi were slave to their own _perception of_ destiny. It's really just fear."

"I don't disagree." Leia responded. "But you categorize them just like the general population categorizes us, just like I do them, ironically. In their minds, every Royal Heir is just looking for recognition and demands honor. In mine, they're all just suck-ups. Throwing people into labeled groups... we should all try and break that habit."

Luke's eyes narrowed in curiosity. "What are you trying to say?"

The Princess shrugged. "I just don't think every Jedi is as bad as the Empire make them out to be. That's a very Sith-like belief."

"The Sith." Luke repeated. "Meaning the Emperor and Starkiller?"

"Maybe. You may not be one and the Emperor may have reorganized the Sith into something else, but it was founded by the Emperor, and he was still trained by Palpatine." She reminded. "And the Jedi. So yes. Them. But also you." She said. "You're the only one that doesn't cling to the same title but you do act like your father and Lord Starkiller." She reminded. Luke couldn't necessarily deny this. "I mean, I don't know much about the Sith - honestly I've never fully read your father's statements about the Sith, and only know what little public information your father allows about the Jedi. I just can't believe that each and every one of them are bound by their destinies like you say."

"Like I said, the Jedi Order was bound to their own pre determined perception of destiny." He corrected. "They thought they were they were special; chosen by the Force to keep order in the Galaxy. They were infallible, or at least they thought. In their minds, they were the most powerful in existence." Luke began. He shook his head ironically. "You know the story. You know about Palpatine being a Sith Lord, the Death Star and the manipulation of the Clone Wars. It's taught in every History class. You know that the Jedi _let_ the Republic be manipulated by Darth Sidious." Leia held her tongue. "Despite his status, even my father was victim. The Jedi would've let themselves to be destroyed before humbling themselves enough to see such a blatant threat before their eyes that slipped through their senses."

"The threat being Sith?" Leia asked curiously. "Starkiller and your father _are_ Sith."

"That's not the point. Even Sith are capable of evolution, Leia. Sidious's ideals are completely contrast to my father's... Force, that man threatened not only the Republic's way of life, but life as a whole. He manipulated my father, twisting him slowly over decades into his slave. And the Jedi didn't want to believe a threat like him could destroy them."

"Which it did." She solemnly finished. "I don't know the difference between whatever your you are and the Sith Order, but you speak of both the Jedi _and_ Sith as your enemies..."

"No," he shook his head, "I speak of the Jedi and the Sith ideals of Darth Sidious as enemies." Luke corrected. He glanced back down at the flower. "The old Sith were just like the Jedi. My father is the Lord of the Sith now. He's grown up from what he was... and he's made the Sith philosophy grow with him." Luke clarified. The flower's stem straightened before it broke near the soil. It floated in between Luke and Leia, dripping a thick, white fluid from it's broken stem.

This particular flower's water was incredibly poisonous.

"Palpatine's Sith line was corruption incarnate." Luke glanced up at Leia with a small smirk on his face. "The Jedi weren't so different. Both presented themselves as enticing." Luke nodded toward the flower. "They pretended to be welcoming, they made false promises. On the outside, both were very desirable. Power... peace... just pretty words masking lies. They were corrupted and poisonous on the inside." He pulled his lightsaber out, making Leia flinch slightly. Crimson plasma searing the end of the stem.

It floated closer to Leia who reached up and grabbed it. "Not that you'd need a reminder of how dangerous the Jedi were." Luke added. His saber hissed off.

"So what about you? You're the only one of your kind." She asked, holding the large flower rather delicately. "What even are you?"

Luke shook his head at how confusing his status was. "I'm just Luke Skywalker." He answered with a shrug. "I'm not a Jedi or a Sith. I don't believe in a philosophy dictating my actions." He continued. "I guess you expect me to say that I'm smarter than them. That my views are right and the rest are wrong."

She just shook her head. "No. I think you're smart. Brave for denying the Sith, but I also think that maybe _you_ believe yourself smarter than them."

"Maybe when I was younger." Luke admitted. "Truth is, I'm not. Even my beliefs have flaws just like the Jedi and the Sith. I'm still learning where I fit in to everything. I still learn from my father and my teachers every day, so yeah, I make mistakes. I'm just willing to admit them."

"Oh yeah?" She gave him a smirk. "Like what, oh humble one?"

Amusement shot through him. Luke rose an eyebrow. "Like mingling with hard headed Princesses, for one."

She lightly smacked him on the shoulder. "Don't mock me!"

He chuckled. "Relax. It's actually refreshing." He smiled. "Nobody's ever mustered up the gal to ask about the Jedi and Sith like you do." He shook his head. "They think I'll just kill them or something."

"Well, your father is notorious for that."

"Don't believe everything you hear, Leia." Luke chastised lightly.

She peered at him rather incredulously. "So he doesn't kill people when they fail?"

"In very particular circumstances, yes. He will." Luke replied. "But you have to understand, the Sith believe fear breeds power." Luke explained. "It's true and that's a fact I respect."

She shook her head. "We should stop talking about this before a friendly debate turns into an argument."

Luke conceded her point with an amused nod. "It's a shame you're so idealistic. You'd make a hell of a politician."

"If by that you mean I'd give your father hell, you'd be right."

"You're probably always giving someone hell."

She chuckled, unable to deny it. "I don't mean to offend you and I hope you don't see it that way."

Luke shook his head. "Not at all."

"You _are_ smart. And you're more open minded than your father is." She complimented. "I don't know, maybe you can teach the Jedi a thing or two about change."

Luke's eyes darkened for a moment and Leia's hope wavered. "I don't know, Leia." He spoke lowly. "Jedi are dangerous. Their fear makes it hard to predict their motives."

Leia's eyes found the ground for a moment. "That's... unfortunate. Many Jedi were friends of my father's... he knows a lot of them to be different than the mold."

"They did try and attack and kidnap you." Luke looked over to her. "And they did kidnap me from my mother."

That point was hard to argue against. While they didn't necessarily kidnap _him_ , they did attempt to take her. "Well, that's why I'm telling you to show them a different path."

He regarded her for a moment. He could tell that she was sympathetic toward the Jedi... despite them trying to kidnap her as a child.

A strange thought popped into his mind. Why _would_ they try in the first place?

It hit him at that moment.

Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan was Force sensitive. Not just strong willed...

 _Interesting..._

— _**\- - —**_

In his office on Mustafar, Vader began a transmission. He had much to discuss with Grand Admiral Thrawn about these new developments.

 _"My Lord."_ The Chiss greeted.

Just as he was about to speak when the holo com began beeping once more. Vader resisted the urge to ignore it. "What is it?"

The face of the ISB's Wullf Yularen graced Vader's holo comm, brows furrowed in concern. _"_ _My Lord, former Senator Vir Zayan of Ralltir was found dead in his apartment this morning."_

Thrawn's head tilted just a bit at the news, and Vader's grip on the corners of his desk tightened, but he remained silent.

 _"_ _Military Intelligence found a sniper rifle in an apartment a few blocks down, residents also killed."_

Vader scowled. His silence was unnerving.

 _"_ _Central Commander Sollaine is complaining that the Senate Intelligence Committee_ _is stonewalling him_ _, My Lord."_ Yularen revealed. " _They want complete control, he says they're threatening him with Court Orders."_

Vader'a rage showed only In his scowl. "Then perhaps his usefulness is at an end." He lowly growled. "Get him on the line." This was testing Vader's patience.

Yularen nodded.

 _"What are our options?"_ Thrawn asked sharply.

Before the answer came, another holo came to life revealing the Central Commander himself. _"_ _Lord Vader..."_ Sollaine greeted, gulping in nervousness at the cold look on the Emperor's face.

Vader's eyes hardened. "Commander Sollaine. I hear another... mishap has slipped through your watch."

Sollaine cleared his voice. _"My Lord, I can salvage the situation, I just need your permission to go above the Intelligence Committe's_ _-"_

"The trail is already cold, don't patronize me." Vader warned. "Your useless argument with the Senate Intelligence Committe should be the least of your concerns, Commander. Fix this. Or _I_ will become your concern."

He severed the connection immediately. Oh, how he hated being the Emperor sometimes. All he could do is sit back and watch as incompetence surrounded him.

He pushed himself off of his desk and shook his head.

 _"Colonel Yularen?"_ Thrawn spoke, referring to his previous question.

 _"To be frank, Grand Admiral, I don't know if there is any real way to deal with this."_ The Colonel spoke gravely. _"Rebel chatter has gone suspiciously silent in the last few hours."_

 _"I see..."_ Thrawn chimed in. _"That will be all, Colonel."_

 _"Yes, sir. Yularen out."_

Vader stared at the holo table for a moment, completely unsatisfied with his lack of knowledge on the situation. He was too far removed for his own tastes, he felt the need to be involved now that Luke was.

The Chiss' expression changed little. _"_ _M_ _y_ _suspicions are_ _correct."_ He said confidently. _"It seems the Sacred Way has decrypted at least a small portion of the data. We may be dealing with a bigger breach than we realized if they were able to uncover the Security Force's deal with Zayan. Though, I suspect this is merely a diversion._ _"_ Thrawn answered. _"We must consider the possibility of them finding out of our various projects, Lord Vader."_

Taking a deep breath to calm anger, Vader turned from the hologram in deep thought. "Summon Admiral Rax to Alderaan." He ordered. "Place him under my son's command."

 _"It will be done, my Lord."_

— _**\- - —**_

The Hangar bay was sparsely populated this time with only Luke, Leia, the Queen and her entourage, the two head's of both respective parties security forces and the typical security officers standing stoic. The Hangar's maintenance was frantically running about preparing for the Viceroy's arrival.

Luke stood beside Leia and the Queen, the entourage standing behind them as well as Luke's two agents, General Feorin Flex and Admiral Thrawn.

Hopefully with the Viceroy's return, Luke would finally have the task force he'd need to get this investigation under way. He'd stalled for long enough.

Though, he did have to admit, this wasn't the worst place to be sent for a mission. He could be on the frozen wastelands of Illum like Starkiller with only terrified soldiers for company. Alderaan was peaceful. He enjoyed it, and he enjoyed the Princess' company. She would make a fine spouse, if only she could be broken of her naive idealism.

He glanced at her from the corner of his eye, sensing her anticipation for her father's arrival.

He wouldn't get much more than a simple emotion from her mind, though. An admirable quality in his eyes; a strong mind and will.

He allowed himself a smirk. Leia was truly remarkable. And she seemed to respect him even if he had several ideals that she stood firmly against. She respected his beliefs, and he could only do the same for her.

"The Hangar is cleared for landing, Viceroy Organa should be here momentarily." His thought process was interrupted by General Tesh addressing him.

Luke nodded.

The shuttle came into view, quickly traveling from beyond the clouds and into the hangar, touching down lightly. The maintenance crew scrambled toward the ship as the ramp began to lower.

A sudden chill ran down his spine.

Luke glanced subtly around... but nothing. The chill disappeared as quickly as it came.

The Viceroy's security detail exited the shuttle first, and Luke caught a glimpse of the Viceroy speaking with someone inside the shuttle.

A very serious look crossed the Viceroy's face.

In a very quick pace, Bail Organa began making his way toward Luke.

The chill came back, only this time, it was a predominant feeling through the Force.

Luke scanned the entire hangar, looking around at every corner of the room. A feeling of dread came down on him.

"Are you alright?" Leia asked in a low whisper.

Luke shook his head. "Something's not right."

That looming feeling quickly turned into a warning of danger. It practically screamed at him.

Luke stepped out and activated his lightsaber. "Get the Viceroy out of here now!" He yelled at the security team. "Viceroy, run!" Luke added.

The hangar bay's occupants stared at Luke like he was growing a third arm, but the security detail acted instantly, grabbing the man and sprinting away.

Making Luke cringe, Leia broke off and ran toward her father.

"Get back inside the palace!" He called after her. "Leia! Get back!-" Suddenly, a concussive force slammed into his chest, further stumbling him backward followed quickly by another, this time much more powerful, accompanied with a very loud crack that shot through his head.

He was on the floor, mind going into automatic panic mode, forcing himself to ignore the feelings through the Force.

His eyes darted around the hangar, noting that smoke filled the it as flames burned on either side of the hangar's doors as flaming debris rained down.

He recognized the ray shield's generators had been destroyed.

From the _inside_.

The Viceroy, his security entourage and his own we're on the floor, shaking their heads from the sudden commotion.

Luke's mind began to whirl.

Another security team rushed in, running passed the entourage toward Organa who was still near the ship that remained undamaged.

Viceroy Organa's ship.

And Leia was in between the Viceroy and Luke. Too close...

He couldn't explain it... but seeing Leia on the floor and knowing she was in such danger sent him into a panic he'd never experienced.

A strange sound caught his ears.

Luke's eyes widened as it dawned on him what was going on.

"LEIA! GET BACK!"

A flaming rocket trailing white smoke smeared into the hangar from outside.

Luke's instincts kicked in as time seemed to slow. He jumped up and sprinted in front of Leia, tossing his hands out in front of him, conjuring all the power he could muster just as the rocket collided with the ship.

Blackness overcame the young Prince.

— _**\- - —**_


	4. Chapter 4: The Aftermath

— _**\- - —**_

 **Chapter** **4**

— _**\- - —**_

The numbness was strange. Both body and mentally. Luke felt his mind blanking out.

He focused on the Force for a moment and it spurred him into consciousness, slowly.

The air was thick with smoke, the taste of metal on his tongue. It only served to confuse him. What exactly had happened again?

His eyes fluttered open, receiving only blurs of red light, shadows passing over him. Quickly, the shadow took the form of a very familiar face of a girl, laying beside him, eyes closed, white dress stained with black smoke.

 _What is_ _happening?_

His body convulsed, and he found himself coughing, more metallic taste of blood flooding his mouth. His vision focused out, then in. Red splashed across the floor beside him.

Feeling came rushing back to him most unpleasantly. White hot, sharp pains shot through his stomach, jolting more pain in his chest and finally his left arm right where the prosthetic connected with his flesh. He dare not move, the pain was too much. And an eerie feeling told him it would only make things worse.

His connection with the Force was weak, having trouble using it to merely scan himself for damage.

There was an explosion... he was... in the Royal Palace, the hangar bay where he awaited Viceroy Organa's return.

That girl laying next to him... the Princess.

Someone had just killed Alderaan's Viceroy! Someone killed… Leia?

A thoughtless panic surged. Instinctively, he recluses into the Force, searching for something he didn't consciously know existed.

Relief chased away the panic.

A loud clank vibrated the floor as a large piece of fiery debris from the ship's hull broke off. The situation came to mind.

He needed to act quickly! The attacker may still be out there! This was his chance!

The slightest movement caused his body to convulse once more, his chest was seized with liquid his body tried desperately to expel, causing him only that much more pain.

He was in no condition to move, much less chase the villain behind this.

But he could issue orders!

But even his voice failed him.

The floor vibrated all around him, the commotion of Alderaan's Noble Guard mobilizing. A commander shouting orders, men rushing passed him, a few kneeling to check pulses of those around him.

"Don't move- you're badly injured." Someone warned him.

Another man knelt over Leia, fingers pressed against her neck. But he felt her through his meager connection in the Force, rather easily oddly enough, she was alive. Only unconscious.

"Medic!" The man above him yelled.

Luke gazed up the man, words dying in his throat.

"Get me a secure line to Governor Kazic and Lord Vader _immediately_!" A familiar voice powered over the chaos. The man kneeling above Luke nodded, hastily standing and running off to perform his duties. He was replaced with the familiar red eyed, blue skinned Admiral Thrawn. "Don't move." The Chiss Admiral said calmly. "Keep your eyes on me, stay awake." He continued.

Luke did his best to nod.

"General Feorin is dead, Agents Rylie and Ruryi are alive as is your security team." Luke wanted to thank the Admiral, for doing his very best to keep his mind off of his own injuries, and his mind alert. The information would only keep Luke's mind awake. "The Queen, The Viceroy and their entourage have all been killed. I've summoned Moff Kazic to call martial law on Alderaan." The Admiral quickly continued. "I'll instruct him to await your orders, My Lord, so you'd better be alive to give them." He said it like a direct order.

The Admiral was brushed aside by the Noble Guard medics after that, three in total scanning him over and sounding off to what they found. Luke blocked them out, better not to know his injuries. That would only cause unneeded stress. His head rotated toward Leia as more medics lifted her onto a stretcher.

The Medics lifted his head and strapped an oxygen mask over his face. The pain began to quickly fade, alongside his consciousness.

He allowed himself to rest.

— _**\- - —**_

The ISB was indeed turning into a useless bureaucracy, and Darth Vader had no qualms with showing his discontent. Central Commander Sollaine sat at the Emperor's desk, eyes averted from the man suspended in air beside him - both having been summoned to Mustafar, choking for breath until finally, a sickening crack replaced his gurgles. The man, Harus Ison, the now _former_ Deputy Director of the Imperial Security Bureau's body fell to the floor in a dull thud.

Sollaine felt the Dark Lord's eyes bore into him, and for once he missed the icy, lifeless blue eyes that were replaced by yellow trimmed red. Darth Vader was _furious_. And so were the blue holograms of Grand Admiral Thrawn and Grand Moff Tarkin.

Unfortunately, they weren't there to stay Vader's rage "General Feorin was one of my most valued Generals." Vader stalked out from behind his desk, hands clasped behind his back. He stopped at Sollaine's side, pausing with a glare that would make Sidious himself proud. "And now, he's dead." His voice dropped to an uncomfortably low octave, and yet, his face remained very unnervingly calm. "The Prince is fighting for his life." He continued. "You've lost any lead you may have had and now, yet another terrorist attack has slipped through your watch." Vader stood to Sollaine's side, glaring down on him, his rage only present in his discolored eyes and the dead body on the floor. "And all you have for me is a _sniper rifle_."

The Commander cleared his throat, and met Vader's eyes. If he showed any fear or hesitation here, he was a dead man. "I should've never entrusted my subordinates with this operation, My Lord. I will see to this matter personally." His own voice was filled with anger, not anger at Vader, but anger at his own men. Intelligence should've seen something like this coming, there should've been a tip from some source in the field. Perhaps his reach was dwindling.

 _"Your_ _bureaucratic aspirations_ _are_ _what blinded you these attacks_ _."_ Governor Tarkin reminded. _"If you had taken your duties seriously, the information stolen would be in our hands. This operation on Alderaan should never have been necessary._ _"_

Sollaine scowled. "Admiral Thrawn failed to gather the information as well. And that was _after_ he took command."

Thrawn's eyebrow rose. _"Be mindful of what you say. You are in no position to shift any blame."_ The Chiss slowly countered.

Sollaine glared hatefully at the Chiss.

"You've had your chance, Commander." Vader answered coldly. "So now, your resources are at Grand Admiral's disposal. You will hand over the list of all of your active assets immediately."

Stonewalled by the Emperor himself, Sollaine kept his cool. To show his discontent would be foolish, to argue with Vader that it wasn't his fault would only add fuel to Vader's rage. "My Lord, I would be more than willing to work with the Grand Admiral, I will not work _for_ him." He had to retain his dignity somehow.

" _You_ will do exactly as I say." Vader swiftly answered, pointing his gloved finger at the man.

 _"I do not require your... cooperation."_ Thrawn's words were laced with disdain at the notion. _"Only your resources."_

Sollaine glared at the Chiss.

"You have no more pull in this matter, militarily, politically or otherwise." Vader's glare lingered. "Leave us." Came his final order as he dismissed the man with a wave of his hand before the Director left the room.

 _"This is not chance, Lord Vader. A successful assassination of an Imperial dignitary has gone through with not so much as a whiff from the Agency who's purpose is to make these things their business to know."_ Governor Tarkin began. _"This brazen terrorism on our doorstep is not a simple oversight."_

Both Vader and Thrawn agreed. _"_ _This Shadow Council has more power than we may have thought_ _."_

"We knew this." Vader replied. "They're acting quickly. I will move the Armada to Alderaan personally." Vader concluded. "Oversight or not, my son is a target."

 _"I_ _highly doubt he is a blatant target of assassination."_ Thrawn started. _"We are being manipulated, every thing that has happened has done so according to a plan we know very little of."_

 _"Show them your weakness by coddling the Prince and we play into their hands."_ Tarkin added.

Vader sighed internally. He knew this, it was obvious he was being manipulated... but his son was caught in the middle! "Our preparations are the only oversight." He admonished himself. If he'd seen it coming sooner... "Keep all eyes on the assassination. The existence of the Shadow Council must stay a secret for now." Vader ordered. "Admiral, I'll send Starkiller. Let him be the new focal point of this investigation until we have answers."

The Admiral nodded. _"Wise indeed."_

"Come to Mustafar with Galen Erso." He said to Tarkin. "I have a feeling we'll need his men to expedite the final project."

 _"It shall be done."_ Tarkin nodded once.

With that, Vader was left alone in his office, the Force nagging at him to discover something he didn't even know he was looking for.

It was an unpleasant feeling.

— _**\- - —**_

Mon Mothma was in a strange predicament to say the least. The Rebellion was being assaulted from all angles, her Generals had no information, and two major financiers were just eliminated. The Rebellion had suffered a staggering loss with the death of Bail Organa. She didn't have to funds to pay for this war - very few did anymore.

And just when she was bringing the scattered Rebel Cells together under one name, fighting amongst the separate Cells erupted. One Cell accused the other for recent events - namely a particular cell under a Jedi General named Rahm Kota who once worked with the Sacred Way extremists long before they were revealed to be so volatile.

Pointing of fingers began. Other Cells defended themselves, calling upon their allies to defend with them placing a very large wedge between one half of the nearly united Rebels and the other.

All her delegating was being unhinged.

And then... this.

The Sacred Way extremists blew up the Morning Side Cafe on Alderaan. They were also responsible for Bail Organa's assassination. And they had an unusual amount of inside knowledge. They knew Bail was feeding money to the Rebels, they also knew that Vyn, the Senator from Ralltir, also had financial interests with the Rebels.

These two assassinations severed a huge portion of funding.

She was hard pressed not to break down in tears. Her life's work in shambles at the tail end of the Clone Wars, now her attempts at rebuilding what was lost on the day Darth Sidious declared Imperial rule was breaking down in tatters before her.

Good friends constantly fell beside her while she was strapped with the burden of carrying on, placing a mask of resolute strength and unquestionable leadership for those who looked to her for guidance. One of the men she looked to for her own guidance, her own peace of mind and friendly comfort now lay in a heap of charred star ship parts, and Mon had no idea why.

Had she been a lesser woman, she'd bawl, throw things, guzzle down fine wine and forget her calling. She'd pass the torch onto Fang, or Rahm, or even Ilblis.

But she was now the one of the only remaining voices of the Delegation of 2000 to stay untainted by revenge, unflawed by blinding hatred. Her sole purpose was to restore democracy, not to "take down" the Dark Lord and his Empire.

If only Sith were reasonable men.

There were qualities she respected in Darth Vader, deeply respected. His dedication to uproot corruption, to end slavery, to end xenophobia and inequality. Darth Vader was practically an Economic Socialist, intent on dealing with corporate greed with an iron fist.

But he also ruled with said iron fist. Entire planets being reduced to mining colonies, genocide of traitorous systems, intolerance for Jedi and any like them. The Emperor had personally murdered more people than she'd ever met.

He deserved justice, and justice was for the people of the Galaxy to decide, not one man.

There was no more Jedi Council to tame Anakin Skywalker. No more Darth Sidious to keep Vader on a leash. He was now a man who did as he saw fit, and did not tolerate any back talk, or even ideological differences. Taking away the Galaxies freedoms of religion, speech, press, and many more she cared not to remember in the wake of the Sacred Way's growing danger. And he did it so subtly too. The public didn't even realize.

Anakin Skywalker saw his Galaxy as his own personal utopia, believing the mass population to be incapable of making decisions for themselves - so he made decisions for them. And he killed anybody who got in his way.

Morality was her only hindrance.

In some ways, she wished she was as ruthless as Vader. She wished the entire High Rebel Council was as ruthless as the Sith Lord and his High Command. Their agenda would move forward much quicker... maybe this Empire would never have existed in the first place. Maybe if she wasn't so damned sentimental, she wouldn't cling to the ideals of the dead. Padme Amidala's ideals wouldn't have lingered as a part of her, nor would Bail's.

But then... what would separate her from the leaders of the Sacred Way...?

She had an oath to uphold her morals till the end. Those around her viewed them as her greatest strength. Her unwavering determination to see those ideals she and her comrades believed in with such fervor come back to light.

Her determination had indeed wavered. It was barely standing. Not one woman with as large a heart plastered on her sleeve could outlast the Empire's brutality, nor the fighting from within the Alliance's own ranks as divided as they were.

She needed someone to place some of this burden on. Someone much wiser and much more accustomed to death and destruction. A Jedi. One wiser than Rahm Kota, and less guilt ridden as Obi Wan Kenobi.

Someone with unwavering will, and wisdom enough to unite their divided state.

She wiped her tears, and fingered the communications button on her desk.

 _"Milady?"_ Her head of staff asked through the speaker.

"Prepare a shuttle. Set our course for the Dagobah System."

— _**\- - —**_

Luke remembered the first time he'd been taken aboard his father's flagship at the time, the _Exactor_. He was seven, if he remembered correctly, standing to Darth Vader's right once he followed his father to the bridge. Admiral Motti had addressed the Dark Lord with a bow and proceeded to ramble off useless facts that Luke didn't care to remember, and the way Darth Vader responded to Motti with such command and presence made such pride surge in the boy's chest. His father wasn't just respected because of his position, he was respected because of his innate sense of power and control. Luke could sense every one of these men's thoughts on the bridge, each of them nearly trembling in their boots in fear they'd screwed up in some fashion, and yet the fear was also accompanied by a strangely strong sense of loyalty. Each of them wanted Vader's approval.

In Luke's seven year old mind, he couldn't fathom how two feelings could coexist. Fear of their -then Supreme Commander that didn't accompany hatred, that fear bred loyalty. It was respect for the Dark Lord. The more Luke studied these feelings, the more he realized these men weren't fearful for their lives per se, more fearful for Vader's disapproval. A feat Luke commended his father for.

There was only one thing that irked the boy to no ends. None of these men payed him any mind, acting as if he simply didn't exist at all. Didn't Luke command the same power his father did? He may not be the Emperor or the Dark Lord of the Sith, but he was still the Imperial Prince! He still had _some_ training! He could kill these men just as his father could, or did these officers not know that?

Luke remembered his father ordering a squad of Stormtrooper Commandos to the bridge, instructing them to take Luke, show him the Star Destroyer and acquaint him with soldiers, show him some field training exercises and battlefield tactics. That was all fine for Luke, he enjoyed action far more than standing on the bridge with his hands clasped behind his back.

What he didn't expect was when the troopers arrived on the bridge, they were to treat Luke with the same amount of respect given to cadets and privates - meaning none at all. The Commando squad leader pat Luke on the head, like _dog_. And Vader merely watched with disinterest.

Luke fumed! How dare this menial trooper view him anything less than his absolute superior! His rage erupted, and with both hands, the boy reached out and gripped this petty little man with the Force, choking the very life out of him with what meager skill he possessed at the time.

He felt his father's amusement, and it angered him even more.

He wasn't expecting this squad leader to resist. In fact, the man seemed to ignore the boy's Force choke and smacked Luke across the face with the butt of his rifle. He fell to the floor, feeling his own blood trickle down the side of his face, stunned at both his lack of power and his father's reluctance to stop this. The trooper yanked Luke to his feet by the collar of his tunic, lifting him high in the air and slamming him against a wall. "You don't attack your superiors, boy." The soldier whispered in a low tone, his face red in anger. "I don't care who you are. You're under _my_ command today." Luke stared at the man, shock quickly becoming fear, a strange fear. This man broke through the Force and had the guts to smack his superior's child! The Imperial Prince... a boy who held Emperor (at the time) Palpatine's favor! Right in front of the feared Darth Vader!

He dropped Luke to the floor. His anger wavered. He knew he wouldn't be able to take on a squad of the 501'st elite.

"You are mistaken to think these men are your play things, Luke." Vader spoke slowly. "They are soldiers, men and woman of dedication and practice. Unlike you, they command respect only because they have earned it. You have not." The Dark Lord finished. "Pull a stunt like that again, and the Field Marshal will punish you as he sees fit."

Luke's eyes shot wide. This man, this Stormtrooper was the 501'st Field Marshal! He was second to only Vader himself on the fleet's land forces.

Luke found himself stunned! From what he knew of the military command chain, Field Marshals were a Grand Admiral's equal, this man was in armor... which meant he was an active trooper as well as a High Military Commander.

Luke couldn't help but stare at the man with wonder in his eyes.

A true Imperial hero.

It was strange that now, in his sleep, that particular memory surfaced. Luke hadn't worried about what kind of respect he deserved since he was given some _actual_ command. It took Luke years to prove to his father that he was capable of leading. His greatest reward was Vader trusting him and giving him his very own fleet. Even more gratifying that Grand Admiral Thrawn wished to work directly with Luke on several matters. He'd finally earned his position.

It took years, but he learned what his father was trying to teach him. He needed to earn his respect, and learn how to respect others in turn. More than once had Luke's troops saved his life on the battlefield, and he in turn saved theirs. They respected him for his bravery, berated him for his overzealous confidence. Luke found himself respecting even the lowest ranking troop on his ship, all the way up to the Grand Admiral who taught him patience, and showed him how to actually command a successful battle. General Feorin who showed him the value of strategy and Imperial Soldier's lives. He'd been able to save their lives on and off the battlefield. For that, Luke had undoubtedly earned his respect among his men, the respect of the Empire and he respected those higher ranking than him a great deal.

But a feeling of failure fluttered through his chest. He hadn't seen a failure such as the one he had in the hangar bay for years. It cost lives. Many lives. Luke's heart clenched at all the people he failed to protect.

The more his subconscious mind dwelled on that little feeling of loss, the more it swelled, the more he felt as if someone had ripped his chest open and squeezed. It was a pain he'd never felt before, an emotional strain he couldn't understand feeling for people that weren't close to him.

It erupted like an explosion, new waves of sorrow, of anger, of desperation...

They weren't his emotions...

 _You're all I have left... and I don't even have you._

Luke's eyes shot open and his senses were filled with utter confusion. He was wet! He was... drowning?

He sensed the panic of those around him, and it only added to his own. Without thinking, the Force gathered around him and repulsed outward. Gravity took hold of him and he hit the floor, the sound of liquid splashing and glass shattering around him. He reached up and yanked a mask connected to a tube off of his face, quickly trying to find his bearings. He slipped attempting to stand as noise vibrated all around him.

"Luke!" Someone called out.

He stopped his frantic attempts at - whatever he was trying to do, looking toward the source of the voice. "Princess... Leia?" He questioned in a rasp. Why was he so confused?

She made her way to him, kneeling down. "Luke, it's fine. You're okay." She cooed lightly.

He flinched when she touched him. "What- what's going on?" His eyes darted all around, scanning over various doctors and nurses.

"There was an... accident." She said. It didn't seem to calm him. "Luke, look at me." She practically ordered. He did, and he paused. Her normally cheerful eyes had a nearly unbearable weight behind them, puffy and irritated. She'd been crying. "You need to relax. You're safe." She continued, grasping his prosthetic hand with both of hers, almost as if she was cherishing it. Under different circumstances, he would've found it odd, but his mind was racing too fast to process the mere gesture as anything but comforting.

He glanced around him, glass and liquid covered the floor, and a familiar smell permeated the air. Bacta. He'd been in a bacta tank. But why?

He caught glimpses of fire from his own memories, and it only startled him. "I-" he tried. "Hit my head?" He asked, gaze falling upon Leia once more. She nodded.

"There was... an explosion." She said. "You saved a lot of lives, including mine."

"Who?"

"The Grand Admiral is safe, and the troops you brought with you." She answered.

But there were more people involved... he knew that. There were much more people involved. "What about..." He tried, but he just couldn't remember the details.

"You need rest." She interrupted his thoughts. Her face was stern leaving little room for him to argue, which was odd to him. Nobody gave Luke orders unless they had his respect. Surely Leia wasn't on that list.

He found himself nodding, however, not feeling like arguing, not even to figure out what was happening.

The nurses came to them, wrapping Luke in a thick blanket and helping him move to a bed. He passed out quickly with Leia sitting next to his bed.

How odd...

— _**\- - —**_

Luke Skywalker should've been embarrassed at the little stunt he pulled, blasting open his bacta tank and all, but he wasn't. Well, if he was, it was overshadowed by his deep thoughts.

Bail Organa was dead, along with his wife, her sister, the General of the Noble Guard and Luke's own General Feorin. An attack that was so incredibly guerrilla it hurt his pride to find out he hadn't been able to prevent it. A missile had hit Organa's vessel.

It was so... rudimentary. How did he not sense those charges? Surely he'd scanned the hangar before entering through the Force, and he was dead sure that the Death Troopers scanned everything before Luke entered. For a group of the most fearsome bodyguards and he himself to miss the danger... something felt off. The Force was suspiciously silent about it all. Perhaps it wasn't silent, but rather overshadowed by the strong connection he suddenly had with the Princess that seemed to bombard him with emotions.

Even now as she was asleep on the chair next to his bed, he now has access to her foremost thoughts when previously, she was a tight wall. Could the near death experience had caused such a bond?

Was she that powerful in the Force to forge a rather unwilling bond with him?

The only logical conclusion was that she was indeed that powerful. It would make sense why he was innately drawn to her almost immediately, and now her sorrow resonated with the Dark Side, strengthening their bond even further due to his own use of it. Maybe he ignored the signs from the Force. He knew this was the reason the Jedi attacked all those years ago, and why Bail put so much effort in making his house a Force-free zone. After all, if Vader found out... well, she'd an Inquisitor most likely.

But an idea had been festering in his thoughts for the past hour. He could begin her training throughout the duration of his stay, and when he went back to Coruscant, he'd take her with him, and present her to the Emperor as Luke's pupil. There would never again be a whiff of rebellion from Alderaan with someone on his side ruling. The perfect regime to replace Bail.

But Luke sensed that she'd be reluctant. All that small talk about her ideals would make her hard to break, and he wasn't sure he had the heart to use her family's death to his advantage. There were some lines he wouldn't cross. He wasn't a Sith.

Why that thought scared him was beyond his own reasoning. Why he should care this much about a Force sensitive Princess he didn't really know was beyond him.

Luke shook his head of the idle thoughts.

He decided to gather himself, make sure he wasn't suffering from the concussion any longer before calling in the Admiral to brief Luke on what had been going on while he was out of it. Thrawn would no doubt take control completely while he was recovering, but this gave him time to train Leia. And... to try and fix his damaged lightsaber.

Skywalker sighed at that. He'd taken such pride in making it.

"Hey..." Leia's groggy voice brought his mind back to the present. She stretched in the chair, rubbing the sleep from her eyes with a yawn. "How long've you been awake?"

Luke shrugged. "An hour. Two maybe."

"You feeling okay?" She asked, suppressing another yawn.

He smiled lightly in amusement "Well..."

She rolled her eyes with a smile of her own.

Luke shifted a bit uncomfortably, clearing his throat. "What... about you?"

Leia's brow furrowed. She found herself looking into his blue eyes, searching for a sign of malevolence, like he was going to use her vulnerability against her somehow. That's what Sith did... was he really different than Vader?

She only found sincerity. It confused her.

"Considering..." He added after a short silence, breaking the eye contact with an awkward shift.

She sighed. "I... couldn't tell you." She said honestly. "It just doesn't feel real yet."

His gaze lifted and lingered for only a moment. "I'm sorry." He said lowly. "I can't imagine how it feels. If you need to talk, I'm here." He offered.

She nodded, giving him a rather solemn smile. "Thank you."

"It's... the least I can do."

"And... thank you for saving my life." She corrected.

He did, didn't he? He jumped right in front of her first without any regard for himself. That was troubling... "Ah... yeah. You're welcome."

He could sense the bitterness cross her thoughts, the question as to why he didn't save the rest of them. Her own notion was quickly dismissed as selfish and unwarranted.

"I don't know if you've realized it yet, but Leia... you're very strong in the Force."

For a very split second, panic crossed her mind. "What?"

"Your presence in the Force." Luke clarified. "You have the potential to use the Force."

She tried her best not to stare in shock or to stand up and run away.

"Special powers, Leia." Luke elaborated with a smile. "Telekineses, foresight... uh... there's only so many ways I can describe it."

She shook her head with a wry smile, her fear purged at his aloofness. "No, I know what you mean." She chuckled. She couldn't get that feeling out of her mind now, the one that said that he was preying on her vulnerability... but the Force was telling her that he had no desire to use that tragedy.

Regardless, she knew what the Empire did to Force Sensitives. Though... was also not sure how Luke's input would effect this. She shook her head. "I don't think-"

"Don't worry, it's not a bad thing. It's just interesting is all. Your potential in the Force, and my training mixed with with our experience together has created what we call a Force bond between us." Luke explained. It was her turn to raise the eyebrow. "I can basically tell you what you're feeling."

She gulped down her anticipation. "Uh... what?" She stuttered. "You're serious?"

"Sure." Luke shrugged. "You're anxious right now... uhm, scared - I don't know why. You also think I'm funny." He smirked. "Thank you."

She couldn't suppress her giggle. "Okay, okay. So this bond. What does it mean?"

Luke shrugged his shoulders in honest ignorance. "The Force likes to throw situations at people and watch how they react. It's cruel, really." He answered. "Maybe you're meant to be trained."

She repressed a sigh.

No, this was much too soon for him to discover her potential. She left herself too vulnerable.

"I don't know..."

She felt his disappointment at her reluctant thoughts. "Luke, you need to recover. I'll let you rest." She stood up. "Get some sleep, Luke. You look tired."

"Yes, doctor." He teased.

"Someone's got to make sure you don't kill yourself." She smirked, standing up.

She couldn't have left the room faster without looking like she was running away. She couldn't have focused hard enough to keep her emotions hidden.

She needed to tell Obi Wan...

Surely he'd know what to do.

— _**\- - —**_

Warlord Byron Teiss gazed across the marble-black table where several holograms of distinguished men dressed in uniform sat with their blue hue glowing across the dark room. The empty chair across made his chest hurt. General Roahin Skoche's seat at this table now sat empty... and the Warlord felt shame swell in his chest at seeing the vacant spot. Necessary as sacrifices were, this one was cold and backstabbing.

 _"Is your mind in the clouds,_ _Warlord Tiess_ _?_ _"_ A voice spoke to him as he stared at the vacancy.

Tiess shook his head. "Not at all, Director." He faced the white-clad man a few seats down.

 _"I should hope not."_ The Director snidely replied. _"Our focus cannot waver. Even for a moment."_

 _"Director Krennic is correct."_ The blue holo of Central Commander Sollaine spoke. _"The Emperor grows more and more suspicious by the day. My command and influence has been revoked."_

Krennic frowned at the ISB Commander's revelation. _"This will undoubtedly set us back."_

 _"And with the Grand Admiral and Governor Tarkin poking around, we could very well be discovered."_ Another man chimed in. _"The cover provided by your Sacred Way is fading quickly, Warlord."_

Tiess nodded slowly. "It was unavoidable. My use of the Sacred Way was always meant to be temporary. It's time now to begin using them to their fullest extent and move along to Phase Two."

 _"We must move quickly."_ Sollaine advised. _"Thrawn will soon have the list of assets. I've delayed as much as I can."_

" _What of the decryption?"_ Krennic asked. _"Has that not been finished yet?"_

Tiess shook his head. "It's taking longer than we thought. We've ran across a self-corruption protocol. We've slowed pace to avoid any data loss."

Sollaine frowned at the news. _"Regardless, we must continue on."_

"Agreed. The data will soon be decrypted, it's only a matter of time."

" _Time we don't seem to have…"_ Commander Sollaine lamented.

 _"We move on as planned. Are your men in position, Warlord?"_ Krennic quizzed.

"They will be soon." Warlord Tiess assured.

Another man, a distinguished, respected man clad in a uniform fitting of his rank; Fleet Admiral, leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table and his chin on his fists. Gallius Rax, the leader of this council spoke slow and deliberate. _"Then the time is near, gentleman. We must draw the Emperor to Alderaan. Warlord, you know what to do."_

Ties nodded, glancing to his side in the shadows. As if emerging from smoke, a figure came into the light, the blue of the holograms reflecting off of a shimmering, silver mask that never failed to send shivers down each man present's backs. His charcoal armor and wispy robes only added to the discomforting look. A shining, black hilt dangled from his belt.

 _"You have done well. Your patience has payed off, C-28."_ Rax spoke. _"It's nearly time..."_


	5. Chapter 5: The First Order Initiative

— _**\- - —**_

 **Chapter** **5**

— _**\- - —**_

"I'm not going back to Coruscant." Luke shook his head with all the power his raspy voice and weak lungs could muster. "I was almost killed and I need to find out why."

Grand Admiral Thrawn eyed the son of Vader, the bandage wrapped around his abdomen where a piece of shrapnel had pierced him was stained a dark brown, the left side of his chest was bruised a dark purple, and his face was red and irritated, a small cut on his lower lip. He was lucky not to have bled out from the wound in his stomach, much less the broken rib that punctured a lung, he couldn't function at peak efficiency, much less find and capture whoever was behind this attack... but he knew Luke very well. And even more so, he empathized. However... "The orders came straight from your father." Thrawn countered.

Luke sighed, ignoring the dull ache in his chest. "Get me a line to my father." He said haughtily. "I won't sit in the Capital and watch my investigation fall apart. I've spent too much time on this." He ground his teeth in frustration.

Thrawn perked an eyebrow at Luke. "You know as well as I he will not budge. He nearly made the mistake of coming here himself."

Thank the Force he didn't. That would've been predictable to the enemies. "I'll convince him."

Thrawn just nodded, pulling his personal holocom from his belt. Standing up, he walked toward Luke's bed and handed him the device. "If he says no, I will be bound by the law. Don't make this harder for me."

Luke respected Thrawn too much to argue.

Darth Vader appeared in blue light on the comm in front of Luke. _"What is it"_

Demanding as always... "Father." He curtly responded. "I'm staying."

Vader rose an eyebrow. Luke could sense the signs of Vader's impatience ending. _"Then you can choose how I handle your disobedience."_ Vader warned lowly.

"Father, please! If I leave now, I'm sending a message to the Empire that I'm weak! That I can't handle myself in the face of danger!" Luke argued. "I can stay and recover here, and continue to lead the investigation!" Luke countered. He was trying to make it clear that he was not leaving.

 _"Don't question my decisions."_ Vader warned almost coldly. _"You're vulnerable to attack. A smart enemy won't let this opportunity go to waste."_

"But I wasn't the target." Luke corrected. "The Sacred Way... they seem to be cleaning up loose ends." Luke countered. "Please. This is personal now."

Vader stared at his son through the holo, obviously contemplating his words. He knew Luke would have issues with leaving Alderaan, but he wasn't expecting a blatant disregard for orders. This _was_ personal for him. But he sensed there was something more... _"_ _And yet I sense... something more_ _."_

Luke sighed. Of course he would sense something was up. "I didn't want to tell you until I knew it was a for sure thing. The Princess is Force sensitive." He revealed, much to the shock of Vader, who's eyebrows furrowed in concern. "I think if I open her up to the Force and train her, we'd have a strong, loyal successor to Alderaan's throne."

Vader's eyes lit up. Luke sensed his father's approval. _"I see..."_ The Dark Lord muttered.

"We share a bond." Luke revealed. "A very strong one. I... saved her life. I believe the Force brought me here for her as well."

Vader sighed yet again. His son made a compelling case. Just like the son of Padme Amidala to persuade the Dark Lord of the Sith. _"So be it._ " Vader relented. _"Prepare for Starkiller's arrival."_

"Why?" Luke asked, offended at the very notion of having even more protection.

 _"_ _I'm sending him to draw out the Sacred Way forces on Alderaan. We need to gather more information on their weapon."_

"C-28." Luke frowned. "Do you think it's... here?"

 _"_ _What does the Force tell you?_ _"_ Vader quizzed as if teaching a lesson. _"Search your feelings."_

Luke _did_ feel the looming darkness over Alderaan. "That's why Agent 13 is here." He concluded. "When should I expect him?"

 _"_ _He's already on his way."_ Vader replied. _"I've sent for Gallius Rax to go as well. He will be placed under your command. Suffocate him. Don't let him breathe without you knowing."_

Luke nodded. "Thanks... I mean it."

 _"Don't disappoint me."_ Vader warned with a point of his finger.

"I never have."

The transmission severed at that. Luke tossed the device back to the Admiral.

— _**\- - —**_

Leia sobbed for all she was worth for the umpteenth time in the past week, Obi Wan's arms wrapped around her as he cooed her into calming down. The subject of today's breakdown was her loss of hope. Luke had found out she was Force Sensitive, and she seemed to think all was lost. Ben, however, didn't. "It will be fine, Leia, I promise you."

She shook her head. "How can you say that, Master?" She asked incredulously. "Luke wants to train me!"

"Leia, we still have time." He assured. "He wouldn't train anybody without approval from his father. You've been so strong this past week. I'm so proud of you."

She chuckled through her tears.

"I am being serious." He smirked. "Luke is much more grounded in reality than his father is. He is more reachable than I could've imagined. Show him you care, show him how much saving your life meant to you. You'll break through to him, I know it! Very few can withstand the demands of Princess Leia."

She smacked him lightly, pulling away from their hug.

She just couldn't hold on to her Master's optimism. "How did things get so complicated?" She muttered to herself. It pained her to think of her father's witty response to the question, or even her mother's admonishment of such a pessimistic outlook.

"Draw strength from them, Leia." Obi Wan advised once more. "It pains me to think of their deaths as well, and I would've gladly switched places. But this is the will of the Force. Mourn them, miss them, but don't let those feelings consume you." He warned. "Think of how they would react to your decisions, honor their memories. Draw strength from that."

She stared at Obi Wan, the weight of her loss still bearing down unrelentingly so.

But her Master's words lightened the load a bit. She nodded, wiping the tears from her face. "I will Master. I'll make them proud!"

Obi Wan smiled. "I'm glad to hear that."

"Have you figured out who did this?" She asked, a bit more steel in her voice that made Obi Wan frown.

"Unfortunately, no." He answered. "And with you sharing this bond with Luke, I feel it would be detrimental to say any more."

She sighed, but nodded, conceding his point. She want sure how well she could protect her thoughts anymore now that Luke had discovered their bond. "It's better I don't know." She replied with all the honesty she had.

Her pain was too fresh not to seek revenge.

"I know." Obi Wan answered solemnly. "All too well."

But beyond the attack, Obi Wan was reluctant to tell her about the massive shift in the Force. Everything was considerably darker now...

The only conclusion he could draw was a victory against the Rebels. But who and where eluded him.

"Be mindful." Ben lowly said. "We must work together with the Empire this time."

Leia gazed at her Master, shocked at his words.

"I'll be leaving shortly." His gaze hardened into one of serious concern. "Leia, you _must_ stay strong. A threat is coming. And I don't know what it is."

— _**\- - —**_

Senator Mon Mothma eyed the screen marking her shuttle's approach vector from behind the captain and co-pilot's chair. They were close to the surface now, slowly approaching the planet's rather hostile floor with delicacy and care. Dagobah - as little as was known about it - was known for it's inhospitable environment, especially when attempting to land. It's atmosphere was dense, and there were few clear zones to place a ship down. Luckily - or perhaps it was the will of the Force - there was such a zone near her final destination.

The ship touched down as smoothly as possible, and from the viewport, Mothma could see the light of a flame glowing through what seemed like makeshift windows at the base of a rather large tree.

Master Yoda.

She turned. "Stay with the ship." She told her men. "Please make sure nothing gets inside. I don't want to deal with that sort of mess."

"Of course, milady."

She stepped down the ramp into the mushy grass of Dagobah's swampy floor, alone.

The small hovel was just in front of her, the fire light abode giving off strange smells that almost irritated her nose. She walked forward with purpose.

Bending over, she peered into the hovel, as expected, he was there, sitting on a hand crafted chair near a cauldron over fire. "Visitors, I was not expecting." His gimmer stick poked at the flame.

She took his acknowledgment - or admonishment rather - as an okay to enter. His eyes rested on his pot of food passively. "A mistake you have made, traveling here." He said after a long pause. Finally, he glanced up at her, the sorrow in his eyes almost too much for her to even bare. He had seen horrors... "Join you in your fight against the Emperor, my place, it is not." He simply read her kind, or perhaps he was just that intuitive.

"I must apologize for my intrusion, Master Yoda." She began. "I... I fear I've been left with no other options."

The old Master chuckled. "Join me in exile do you wish?"

She smiled lightly. "If only it were so easy." She muttered lowly.

His eyes scanned her. "Lost faith have you?" He prodded. "Hmm?"

She sighed. "I've lost contact with a very important asset... Master Kenobi, actually. Bail has been assassinated and our divided Cells have begun bickering amongst themselves." She seemingly blurted out in exasperation. "I fear this dissension will tear all I've fought so hard to create."

For a moment, she felt odd. Here she was, a Senator in the home of the revered Master Yoda who'd managed to turn her visit into a counseling session like she was a fledgling Jedi.

"Insight you seek?" He asked.

"I've come to humbly ask for your guidance, Master Yoda. I've come to ask your help with a most terrible task."

"The burden of the past, no longer bear it you can." He concluded, eyes turning back toward his pot of food which he stirred with a large spoon. "Share this burden with me, you must. Yes. Advice, I can give."

She nodded. "Morale is low, Master Yoda. I'm afraid I've come to ask for more than just advice. Too see you leading us..."

"No longer lead armies do I." He quickly replied. "The Jedi, they are no more. Protect the Galaxy I no longer can."

"There hasn't been peace in the Galaxy for nearly two decades, Master Yoda."

"Think do you that the capacity to solve the Galaxies problems I have?" He asked pointedly. She shook her head, this was as much his mistake as it was hers. "Look to the future, we must." He said, poking at the fire once more. "Through the daughter of Anakin Skywalker... our redemption we must seek."

"I fear there may no longer be a Galaxy to protect if we wait."

The Master seemed to pause in deep contemplation. "Perhaps right, you are." He cryptically replied. "A tough battle ahead of the Emperor and his family I sense." He continued, his voice dropping with dark undertones. "Find peace with the Emperor you must."

"Master Yoda, Darth Vader is beyond reasoning with. I have no power, no allies in the Senate. I... he is beyond making peace with!"

"Then perish, we will." He said sadly. "All of us."

She stared incredulously at the old Master. He just told her to make peace with the enemy! His enemy!

"Darkness approaches, Senator." Yoda said. "Stop it, we cannot. Only united can we fight against it. Join your rebellion, I will not." He said firmly. "Perhaps... yes. Perhaps join the Galaxy, I will."

More cryptic metaphors she just didn't understand. Was he coming with her? If so...

What?

"But first, eat we must. Hmm, yes. Slaved over a fire all day for this to go to waste, I did not."

— _**\- - —**_

Luke stood on the snow covered banks of a frozen lake, flat, snow covered plains of grass in front of a frozen lake greeted his eyes, the Royal Palace behind him in the short distance. His toes were buried in the snow and cloak hanging on a nearby tree.

His legs were crouched in a martial arts ready stance, sweat dripping off of his chin. He'd been here for hours already, ignoring his protesting muscles, ignoring the now bleeding wound wrapped in bandages on his stomach, ignoring the torn stitches and the damage he was doing to himself. If it weren't for the Force, he'd be a heap on the ground, unable to even move without pain.

He was mad. So damn angry. How could he have not sensed such an obvious ploy? Surely there was some sort of danger sense accompanying explosives! But no, he'd only seen a damn rocket flying at him. Something should've felt weird the moment he stepped foot in that hangar.

His father would've sensed it.

He swung his fists and kicked his legs, effortlessly running through practice sequences. Pain erupted once more in his chest and stomach, and he embraced it. The metallic taste of blood in his mouth only angered him more. He allowed the pain to evolve into an explosive fury, fueling the Dark Side. His movements were much quicker than they should be given his state. His leaps were high, graceful in their execution and fluid in landing and proceeding with the practice.

Hell, even Starkiller would've sensed something like that! He knew that he wasn't on par with his father's Sith apprentice, not yet anyways, but sensing the imminent death of... dozens?

Including him if he hadn't reacted quick enough.

It was disgraceful! And now his father saw him as vulnerable! An easy target for assassination!

His jaw clenched and his fists cut through the air.

He'd no longer be third best in this trio of Force users!

He heaved in breaths, arm still extended and sweat dripping down his face. That fist shook from both his weakening body and his rage.

 _Good_. He thought to himself. Now he had the proper channel for his rage. He could use that rage to aid in healing his body. Especially now that the bleeding had started again.

His body relaxed as his hand fell back to his side, and he sat down, legs crossed, facing the ice covered lake. His potent anger fueling the Dark Side. He focused it around his wounds, ignoring the sharp pains for the moment. The would prove useful for more fuel later.

He had to be careful, however.

Sith of old did not have the capacity to love because they had no control over their hate. _He_ did, or at least... he tried.

Festering in the darkness for a while, using the pain of artificially stimulating his cells to recover with the Dark Side's power as the new catalyst.

His eyes opened from a meditative state to the world around him. He brushed the snow off of his bare shoulders, standing up, or attempting to. He kind of stumbled right back down from the pain. It was horrendous. He let the Force fill him and give him strength.

Luke stood this time and inspected the spot of blood that soaked through the white bandage wrapping his stomach. Tenderly, he poked at it. The bleeding had not stopped despite his meditation.

 _Still not strong enough_. He lamented.

Luke lightly shook his head. Blasted physical limitations. He refused to go back in that bacta tank. He hated bacta tanks, he always smelled of its poignant odor for days afterward, and it wasn't a pleasant smell.

"You've been like that for an hour." He heard. Turning, he saw none other than Leia, who'd clung to him like a wet rag for the past few days, sitting under a tree on a stump, thick white coat covering her. "I was wondering if you fell asleep." She smiled slightly, the overcast of depression still lingering over her like a rain cloud. Her eyebrow perched. "Or... died. Force, Luke you shouldn't be out here like this."

Luke just rose an eyebrow. "I was meditating, not dying." He corrected, walking toward her stump where she'd neatly folded his black robe - in place of his now burnt and ruined armor - hanging over a branch. He tossed it over his shoulders. "It's an ancient practice of both the Jedi and the Sith."

She nodded, tossing him a rather amused look. "I've heard of meditation, Luke." She lightly mocked. "Jedi and Sith aren't the only ones who practice it."

"In a different way, Princess. My meditation is not the same as the one you're thinking of." He unclasped the slightly mangled lightsaber from his belt, holding it in his hand in front of him. It floated up. "Jedi used meditation to try and understand the Force. They let it to take their minds away from the world around them, and explore the mysteries of the Force as an observer." The lightsaber began to slowly come apart in front of him, the internals of the saber sliding out from the burnt, bent electrum finish. "Part of letting the Force take them away was releasing any emotions to it, giving them a clear mind. The Sith don't let the Force to take them. Sith meditation is about focusing your rage and anger through the Dark Side. I meditate and try finding a balance outside of fighting." The internal mechanics of his saber broke apart, exposing the red crystal chamber that was dented, spider web cracks along the chamber. It was glowing very lightly. "Like the Jedi, my philosophy is to release my negative emotions to the Force." He explained. "In my case, that I couldn't protect the Viceroy." She blinked, looking uncomfortable at the very mention of it. "If I let that failure just sit without me addressing it, it would become like an open wound, feeding the Dark Side through just my thoughts." The crystal came loose from the chamber in two separate pieces, cracked in half from the damage, and the rest of the lightsaber began reassembling slowly. "Eventually, It would be impossible for me to be balanced. My decisions would have the clear influence of darkness. I would become the very evil you hate." He reassembled saber floated back into his hand, and the crystal shards in the other. He held one up between his forefinger and thumb. "It's like this; me without the Dark Side is like this lightsaber without its focusing crystal." He explained. "Useless. But, being consumed by my own hate, their misgivings and negative emotions turns me into a lightsaber with an unstable crystal. It could detonate at any moment and unintentionally take lives, even my own. A lightsaber- any weapon is only useful if it follows it's wielder's exact commands and isn't damaged. The Dark Side is a weapon, however, it can damage your mind and body."

She looked at the red crystal in his hands, he held up the other half and allowed her to take it from his grip. She eyed it, and a feeling of great sadness overtook her. "So your philosophy is to use the Force only as a weapon..." She concluded.

"Of course not." Luke chuckled. "The Force is a gift. It's alive and it speaks to us. It gives us clarity... it- it's like your best friend, a third parent, a teacher... It's just incredible." Luke concluded. "The Force becomes something entirely new when you're intimate with it's entirety. I mean, I'm not damaged by my hatred and the Dark Side, and I'm not blinded by love and the Light Side. The Force shows me some perspective. I'm not black and white or bound by my perception of right and wrong like the Jedi. It gives me the ability to make decisions with consequences in mind. The Force is destruction and creation together in harmony. I have clarity enough to kill someone and know it was for the betterment of society. I mean, cruelty and mercy... I have the capacity for both. I use them in..."

"You're logical." She cut in. "You think about the consequences of your actions in a wide picture, and the Jedi only think of the consequences in a very black and white sort of way while the Sith disregard consequence entirely."

"Exactly." Luke nodded. "I've learned that not everything is as simple as right and wrong." He said.

She shook her head, ridding herself of any more thought of his scenario. "I know this, I'm not blinded by emotions either. Or, at least I try not to be."

He nodded. "You do a great job. It's endearing." He replied, putting his hand on her shoulder. "You're strong. Brave for facing this head on. I can sense your pain..." He paused. "I only wish there was something I can do to help." He added with a frown.

She smile weakly. "You're already helping. More than you realize."

With a thoughtful look, Luke tried to read more into the words accompanied by a very intense warmth through the Force. He recognized the feeling. As a child, he sought comfort in his father whom he knew, deep down and even if he never outwardly showed or said it, that the man loved him. Unconditionally. Luke felt the same feeling from Leia.

His confusion left him in thought for some time.

"Is your lightsaber ruined?" She broke him from his thoughts, holding the crystal shard out to him.

Luke quickly brought himself out of his thoughts. "No. Not entirely." He took the shard from her. "I can fix it. Er- make it work, I guess." He amended with a chuckle.

"Without losing another hand?" Leia eyed him teasingly.

He shook his head in amusement. "Yes." Luke answered. The saber came apart and the crystals found shelter inside the chamber. "Unstable crystals generate more power from the power cell pushing more energy through the gate to accommodate what the emitter matrix sees as two crystals." He explained. "I'll need a more precise power cell with more energy... I might have to actually try and shrink the tech to fit two separate power cells... and some way of re-routing the extra energy away from the crystals..." He added thoughtfully, more to himself. With a sigh, he clipped the damaged blade to his belt. "And definitely a new casing."

Leia smiled. "I'd say so."

Luke gave her an amused nod.

"Do you have the parts necessary?" She asked. "I can send for some to be gathered for you. I can have a weapons smith reshape that casing as well."

"You know, that actually might be helpful." He admitted. "I'll write a list of materials down. Just send me the bill."

"Sounds like a plan." Leia approved.

— _**\- - —**_

There were planets in the expansive Galaxy that housed creatures of horror. Agent 13 had come across quite a few in his service for the Emperor. Everything from small insects that crawled inside the skin to massive behemoths capable of eating even something as viscous as a Rancor in just a single bite.

Alderaan was no different. Peaceful and quaint as it may have looked, Alderaan housed feral creatures that fueled nightmares, some of which he wasn't quite expecting to even exist, but all in all, it was just like any other primitive, natural planet. Nothing he wasn't unaccustomed to once he learned the predatory hours.

Even if some of the fauna was unexpected, he knew exactly what he would find on this mountain he'd scaled.

He didn't expect to find what he found, however.

High up on Alderaan's Appenza Peak, a chilled wind blew passed him, ruffling the thick fur lining the collar of his long coat. The snowfall began again, and he knew it would only get worse as time went on. He was waiting for that. It would cover his escape.

In his hand was a metal briefcase. The man dropped to his knee and unlocked it, pulling out large, metal pieces of a long-ranged sniper rifle and pieced it together. While he did so, he calculated his trajectory in his head with maths that took some calculators several minutes.

The rifle was finished and he stood up, placing it's stock against his shoulder and peering through the scope. It's HUD showed him the exact distance from his current position and the strange structure he'd been show nearly two thousand yards out. The exact number changed his calculation by a small amount.

His eye rested on a small viewport that was meant to be hidden by the mountain's cover. That's what gave it away.

Moving the scope along the mountainside, a white bunker door revealed itself. Well hidden and covered in thick snow.

Agent 13 pulled the rifle scope from his eye. "How did you find this?"

"I've lived here for quite some time, my friend." The man beside him replied. His gray hair flecked with light, auburn and brown, fluttered with the wind. "Do you expect to find a target?"

"Perhaps." The Agent pulled his rifle down. "That metal is thick, I can't properly survey it. We need to get inside." He stood up and tossed Ben the pistol from his hip.

Ben awkwardly caught it. "Hold on! I told you I'd lead you here! I said nothing about fighting!"

Agent 13 glared coldly. "You seem like a smart man." The man rebutted. "Did you expect a quick field trip? I'm a spy, it's my job to survey potential threats. Now let's go."

Shaking his head, Ben thought of a million different excuses, but sensed the man wouldn't have any of them. "Thank you." With a disingenuous mutter, he clipped the weapon to his hip.

"Though, I have a feeling you won't need it." The Agent pointedly added rather darkly, earning a wary look from Ben.

"Come."

Agent 13 straddled his speeder, setting quickly off toward the base with Ben closely following on his own bike.

Engines whined and echoed across the mountainous valleys as the bikes dropped down a small cliff. Snow puffed and flew up like dust behind the speeders.

They came to a stop next to each other and both hopped off the bikes at the large bases entrance.

"What now?" Ben asked cheekily.

"You knock." Agent 13 pulled his rifle from his back and rested the barrel on his shoulder. Reaching behind and under his coat, he pulled a small gun. "Stay here."

Ben glanced at the Agent. "And you?"

13 aimed the gun up the bunker and a long cable sprang out of it with a quiet, brief hiss. The cable's tip, the claw embedded itself in the snow caked metal several yards above the door. "I'll meet you inside."

Ben sighed as the Agent flew up.

Ben eyed the bunker and walked through the deep snow, searching for some sort of panel. Finding one, he brushed it off with his glove covered hand, seeing that the buttons were frozen over.

Rolling his eyes, he resolved to actually knock.

A bit of snow around his fist fell to the ground when it hit the door. It made absolutely no sound.

Years of battle experience had taught the old Jedi Master how to feel danger when near, even without the use of the Force. It tickled the back of his neck.

Subtly, Ben searched for spots to find cover, though innately knowing that the area behind him was flat for an uncomfortably large distance. Taking a step back, he watched the Imperial Agent using a fusion cutter to slice a neat hole into the thick metal above. Sparks splashed out and molten metal dripped to the small ledge the man was kneeling on. Ben knew that without a doubt, the Agent would see him using a lightsaber. There was also a strange feeling through the Force that told the Jedi Master the Agent somehow already knew who he was which didn't bode well. Perhaps 13 knew he'd need the skills of somebody like Obi Wan Kenobi to survive whatever was in that base. That also didn't bode well.

"I have a bad feeling about this." He muttered to himself.

Then Kenobi realized...

He was the bait.

"Blast..." Ben grunted to himself, reaching for the concealed lightsaber in his coat. He held the cool metal in his palm.

The Force swirled with danger lingering around him. "I suppose there's no avoiding this..."

— _**\- - —**_

Leia was less than happy. In fact, she was outright livid. This seemingly covert operation conducted by Admiral Thrawn and Luke had turned into a planet wide manhunt and then quickly into the Imperial Center itself.

Luke and his _Royal Enforcer_ fleet shows up - fine, that's all good. After her father's assassination, Thrawn is planetside. She could handle that. Then she was informed that Fleet Admiral Gallius Rax was to show up with _his_ Star Destroyer...

It tested her patience.

But when she was told Starkiller himself was going to be there with his _Spear of the Empire_ fleet and her center piece; the massive, oppressive _Tector_ -class Star Destroyer, _Imperator_ , she nearly blew her top right off. She didn't even care if he sensed her anger. Not one bit. In fact, she hoped he did. She hoped she made him feel so unwelcome that he'd just leave.

Or... he'd just kill her.

Her indignant thoughts were silenced once she sensed his presence. It made her gulp at the sheer ferocity and depth. He could kill her without batting an eye.

He exited his shuttle, strides long an purposeful, shooting waves of energy through the Force that effectively had Leia's entire entourage and the entire Imperial greeting party that filled the main hangar bay shaking in fear. He was greeted by Leia, members of Alderaan's High Council and Luke's task force.

"Lord Starkiller." Admiral Thrawn greeted curtly and pointedly as usual.

"Admiral."

Thrawn turned, his hands clasped behind and Starkiller came into step with the Chiss Admiral. "I understand you're here to conclude this investigation with the Prince?"

Starkiller merely nodded.

"Good. Then I shall will proceed with Alderaan's political state, you and the Prince's task force will begin your search for the Rebel assassin." They continued through the hangar and into the main hallways. "Your... _other_ task was made clear to you by Lord Vader?" Thrawn assumed.

"Yes." Starkiller answered directly.

The Admiral nodded. "The Princess has requested you be placed on her task force." Thrawn revealed.

Starkiller turned toward her.

"It's unfortunate our meeting is under such duress, My Lord." Leia spoke cordially. "But, I assure you, we have everything under control. With Prince Skywalker's task force working with the Noble Guard, I feel your involvement may be unneeded."

Starkiller eyed her, eyebrow rose in skepticism. "I assume you're now the de-facto leader of Alderaan?"

She frowned. "Yes, My Lord. I'll retain the final decision on further political and military actions."

"We expect full cooperation." Thrawn tacked on.

Starkiller nodded. "Are there any leads?"

One of the High Council Members jogged to his pace, and spoke up, voice unsure and shaky. "We've analyzed the explosive used to destroy the ship. The tip is not sold anywhere commercially in the Galaxy, not even the Hutts and the Black Sun know what it is. It's a chemical structure we haven't seen before."

Starkiller's face remained passive as he glanced to Thrawn. The two shared a knowing look.

"The weapons used at the Morning Side attacks are the same. Nobody knows who made them." Ruryi added. "We're currently cross referencing the data through all known Imperial databases, and our team is compiling data from liquidated arms contractors from the late Emperor Palpatine's reign. Even Director Krennic is at a loss himself. So far, we've come up with no leads on this matter."

"It may lead us to more if we figure out where these weapons are produced." Riley chimed in.

"I agree." Starkiller approved. "Extend your search parameters to all accessible databases." He ordered "These weapons had to have been developed somewhere. Have a team research any corporate or military R&D department's registered weapons in the last five years pertaining to prototype military grade arms and explosive tips."

The Agent bowed and went off to perform her duty.

"We've discovered where the shot was taken from, My Lord, I have a team scouring the nearby towns and cities." A lower ranking officer took long strides to keep pace.

"The Sacred Way won't be hiding in plain sight with me around." Thrawn admonished lightly.

"The Admiral's got a point. Extend your search to the rivers and caves, release information about the attack to Alderaan's public and squeeze them out. Any signs of inhabitants will be reported directly to either myself, the Admiral or Prince Skywalker." Starkiller continued to amend and bark orders. The man left to perform his duties as well. Starkiller turned to Leia. "I'll be taking executive control away temporarily to call martial law. I don't have the patience for delegations and until this tragedy's blown over, my suggestion is to leave the planet. You could also be a tar-."

"Excuse me?" Lea cut in challengingly. He stared at her, almost confused. In fact, she earned surprised and admonishing stares from all surrounding Imperials. She didn't care. "I'm the last heir to Alderaan's monarchy. Until another election is held, I retain full rights to the Throne! If you think-"

"You are a distressed girl whose just lost her parents." Starkiller corrected. "It's unwise to make decisions right now. Surely you understand this."

"You are mistaken, my Lord! I'm still-"

"You are in no condition to be issuing orders, and furthermore, you have neither the authority nor the grounds to challenge orders from Imperial High Command." Thrawn cut in stiffly. She was actually surprised to hear that Starkiller was issuing orders as a member of High Command. She never knew this. "You will leave the planet as Lord Starkiller has instructed, Princess."

She bit her tongue with a clenched jaw. "I'll agree to relinquish my executive command, however I will stay." She argued in a less aggressive tone. "With due respect, Admiral, not only has my planet been attacked, but my parents killed in their own home. No one is more motivated to see this assassin brought to justice, my resources are more than useful."

Thrawn saw the merit, but ultimately left the decision up to Starkiller. "Fine." The Sith relented. "So long as that's your only motive."

Her head nearly exploded at such an insinuation. What, did he somehow _know_ she was a Jedi? She could have pure motives, how would he know?!

He turned once and continued his pace without even giving her a chance to combat his statement. "Take me to the Prince."

She clenched her fists in pure frustration.

"I leave you to your duties, then." Admiral Thrawn and the majority of the group broke off.

— _**\- - —**_

The dim lights inside of the Star Destroyer _Sidewinder_ were steady and constant, shadows in the wall frozen in a natural painting of light and contrasting darkness. Plain, devoid of a particular style, the room was seemingly as dull as the uniformed men. Fleet Admiral Gallius Rax sitting behind a desk, another, General Hodnar Borrum standing in front of it, and the final man present, Commandant Brendol Hux seated in the chair beside the General. All three straight, posture perfect derived from years of military experience. Eyes sharp and focused from years of analytic espionage and secrecy of the highest caliber.

Such was the life of the members of the Shadow Council.

Out of all the various intelligence agencies the Empire housed; Stormtrooper Intel., Military Intel., Naval Intel., the Imperial Security Bureau, Imperial Intelligence, The Senate Intelligence Committee... so on and so forth, the most important for security of said Empire was the High Command Security Force. The newest entry to Imperial intelligence agencies ran by members of Imperial High Command and overseen by Lord Vader himself.

Unlike the others, the Security Force was a spy network of the highest caliber. The men and women of this intelligence agency dealt with threats both foreign and domestic, involving war, terrorism, propaganda, interrogations, treason, etcetera. Unlike it's sister agencies, the Security Force destabilized governments and killed high profile targets at the Emperor's whim.

In the name of "freedom". In the name of the Empire

It was these situations that made the sacrifice of good men and women completely justified in their eyes, sacrificing one to save millions.

Billions.

No... _Trillions_.

Admirable, or necessary in the eyes of some, as this cause may have been, it pertained to only the _Emperor's_ definition of freedom. Freedom was an idea that may be purely subjective, but an ideal nonetheless. Freedom was an illusion. Gallius Rax had learned this very early into his career and had it been driven into his head by the late Emperor Palpatine.

Vader believed he was bringing freedom to the Empire, but his actions proved otherwise.

Doors were locked and secured, cameras and security protocol abandoned.

"I fear there may be more to be uncovered." General Borrum spoke, breaking the tense silence that had filled the Fleet Admiral he reported to.

"The data is still incomplete." Commandant Hux added. "It has been purposefully programmed to corrupt itself without the code cylinder of very specific members of Imperial High Command. We were able to shut down this virus before all had been lost."

Gallius wasn't sure if this was a good development, or bad. Good in that the information had been revealed, bad in that it didn't bode well for The Contingency. "How does this affect our plans?" He asked, eyes lingering on the file contents before him.

General Borrum sat down right at the edge of Rax's desk. With a grave look, he began."Without complete data, it's impossible to tell." Borrum replied. "Galen Erso is effectively handing control of the Empire to Vader on a silver platter. If there is any vulnerability to be exploited, it is only in a small window before these _Project Fleets_ are completed." He paused. "If the small window is still open to us."

"Nonetheless, he'll still have to reign in political control." Rax muttered as he looked up from the datapad after a long, tense moment. This changed a lot of things. "What exactly are we dealing with here?" He asked in a hard tone.

Hux reached over the desk and reclaimed the datapad in front of Gallius. Flicking through a few pages, he pulled out just one and handed it to his boss.

Admiral Rax stared at it with vivid interest.

"This data tells us there are at least three, though realistically, more, hidden fleets scattered around the Freestanding Subsectors and the Unknown Regions." The Commandant explained. "We've complete information on the location of a fleet called Project _Arbitrator_. Apparently, the _Arbitrator_ is ship, the centerpiece for a fleet. It's accompanied by at least 7 Battlecruisers that more than double the size of an _Imperial II_ -class Star Destroyer."

"We have contenders." Gallius quickly responded. "Where is this Project _Arbitrator_?"

"The fleet is currently above a planet called NaJedha in the Terrabe Sector of the Freestanding Subsectors." Hux responded. "Another fleet called "Project _Ravager_ " is presumed to be on a planet called Moraband somewhere in the Unknown Regions, though we have no way of knowing where to begin search for this planet."

"NaJedha..." Rax repeated. "The late Emperor once had a mining facility on one it's moons."

"It's reported that Saw Gerrera operates on said moon." General Borrum revealed. "Jedha."

"Saw Gerrera. What a madman." Gallius huffed. The Admiral shook his head in exasperation. He slid the pad back toward Hux with a light push of his fingers. "Speculation, and more speculation. For now, there is nothing we can feasibly do about this Project _Arbitrator_..." He sighed. "We must keep focus. It's only a matter of time before the Prince discovers what information was in that database." He sighed. "Vader will act quickly and scatter these fleets immediately before we even have a chance to look into this."

The General shifted forward in his seat. "We can use the Sacred Way to deal with this." Borrum offered.

Rax shook his head. "Too risky. If they attack, Vader will know what we have." The man huffed ironically. "Besides, I don't think there's a naval force in existence capable of contending with this... _First Order_ Initiative." He looked up at Borrum. "The Sacred Way... have they seen this?"

The General shrugged. "Perhaps..."

"Phase Two is already under way, Sir." Hux cut in. "Containment should be simple."

Finally, some good news. "Then inform Tiess to have C-28 contain this mess once Phase Two has finished. _Before_ the Emperor is drawn to Alderaan." He stressed. "All who've seen this must be eliminated." The Fleet Admiral ordered. "The Sacred Way will act rashly. We do not have the time to clean up after them." He said a bit distastefully. "It will cost us years..."

The Commandant turned the datapad's screen off. "We'll need to find replacements for their leaders." Hux stated coolly.

"Perhaps not..." Gallius replied, deep in thought. "Their usefulness is at an end. Pull Warlord Teiss and C-28 out before Vader gets to the planet." He ordered Hux. "For now, release the intel of this Project _Arbitrator_ to the Rebel Alliance. Let them have a crack at it first."

General Borrum nodded his agreement. "Commander Sollaine does have an asset within the Alliance. Leaking this to him shouldn't be a foreseeable problem."

Gallius Rax leaned forward with a sharp look in his eye. "You must do this quickly." He warned darkly. " _Before_ Darth Vader arrives on Alderaan. I know Phase Two will divert his attention, if only for the briefest of moments. That's when we strike." The Fleet Admiral's gaze lingered. "Now go."

Hux and Borrum stood.

Rax rubbed his temples as the two men left his office. Optimism wasn't something he was known for, but he _was_ optimistic about The Contingency's secrecy. Deep down, he knew Darth Vader suspected something... now he had inarguable proof.

The man stood and made his way to the small stand against the far wall, pulling the glass top off of a crystal bottle with light maroon liquid filling it a quarter way. Pouring himself a half a glass this time, and sat back down at his desk. Before he could take a sip, a light blinked on his desk. Paranoia crept on him when he recognized the transmission code. Taking a breath, Gallius prepared himself before answering.

Grand Moff Tarkin stood on the desk in a miniaturized hologram. "Governor Tarkin." Rax greeted.

 _"Admiral."_ Tarkin stiffly greeted.

"What can I do for you, Governor?"

 _"Effective immediately, you are to be reassigned under the Security Force indefinitely."_

It took quite a bit for Rax to keep his composure.

 _"Relocate your fleet to the Capitol and travel to Alderaan with your ship."_ Tarkin ordered firmly. _"The Prince has requested your command of the_ Royal Enforcer Fleet _in light of General Feorin's untimely demise."_

The Admiral ground his teeth. Of all the places. This was no coincidence. "I shall make way promptly."

The Governor eyed Rax for a short moment at noticing Rax's discontent with the order. However, Tarkin held his tongue. _"The Prince and Lord Starkiller will be expecting you... promptly."_

The line was severed on Tarkin's end, leaving Gallius Rax fuming at the audacity of being under the command of...

Of a _child_.

Though, he stayed his anger at realizing the true motive.

They knew of the Shadow Council... The Contingency was in jeopardy.

Jeopardized by Darth Vader's _own_ contingency...

 _The First Order._

— **\- - —**


	6. Chapter 6: The Dark Side

— _**\- - —**_

 **Chapter** **6**

— _**\- - —**_

There was a stir in the Force, a stir that was all to familiar, one he hadn't for many years. Uncertainty for what the future held. This Contingency was forcing Darth Vader's plans into motion much faster than anticipated.

Time was short. And it was only getting shorter. Mighty as his armies were, he knew the Shadow Council had their own armies in production. Combined with the massive chunk of the Empire they were sure to take with them, things looked too dicey for comfort.

"My Lord."

Vader's cold, blue eyes lingered at the window gazing out onto Mustafar for a slight moment, his mind running around with anticipation as he mapped out the next few stages of his plans.

The Dark Lord glanced back at the shrouded man who served as his attendant.

"Governor Tarkin has arrived in company with Galen Erso." The man notified.

Vader allowed a pause for a moment, clearing his mind of any unnecessary thoughts.

Vader nodded in satisfaction. "Send them in." The man turned away from his attendant, preparing himself for the following conversation.

The elderly man did as he was told.

Moments later, Tarkin walked in with their guest for the evening.

"Lord Vader." The Governor's voice rang from behind large conference room table.

Dark Lord faced the visitor while Tarkin took a seat.

The second man in attendance bowed cordially. "My Lord."

"Galen Erso." Vader's tone never failed to send shivers down the spines of those around him.

Galen Erso, the scientist known as the leading authority on crystallography, coerced once into using his knowledge to construct the weapon in development on the destroyed Death Star.

"I've heard production has slowed." Vader eyed Galen carefully.

The man stiffened ever so slightly before taking a seat at a gesture from Tarkin. "There has been some slight hiccups, nothing too troubling, I assure you." Erso began. "Making sure everything is delivered to the your exact specifications has left me with many sleepless nights."

The Sith Lord was still standing, his gaze almost blank, though his eyes sharp as his mind and his senses. They narrowed ever so slightly. "Has it, now?"

To his credit, the scientist kept his heart rate and breathing steady as well as his mind clear of any uncertainty in his own words.

However…

His nail was scratching against the desk. It would go unnoticeable to most, but The Dark Lord was skilled in the art of interrogation. He could spot a lie from a mile away by just studying slight changes in a person's mannerisms.

Intriguing as it was, if Erso was lying about something pertaining to his overseeing of Project _Supremacy_ , Vader would soon find out what.

"It's very demanding work." Erso played it off well enough. "I've assured Governor Tarkin that it will be fully operational once the last pieces are in place."

Vader scowled internally. He hoped he would have more time.

"If... you require a full report on the schedule, I will have it delivered-"

"That won't be necessary." Vader cut in. "I've followed your production schedules for the last seventeen years. Five Project Fleets, each completed within a standard year and a half. So why has it taken nearly ten years to complete _my_ ship?" He asked with a barely concealed threat rolling off of his tongue.

"It's... a complicated project, my Lord. Forgive me for falling behind schedule. Project _Supremacy_ is in it's final stages of completion." Erso assured. "The job is nearly finished."

Vader considered this for a short moment. "I believe I've been more than patient with your circumstances, Erso. But my patience has limits, and you are quickly approaching them."

"Let us not forget, Galen, that once the Project Fleets are completed, your job is not finished." Governor Tarkin added. "So far, your expertise has produced some of the finest weaponry the Galaxy has ever seen. Don't squander this partnership over something as... trivial as lethargy."

Galen's head tilted in a brief display of exhaustion. "My team is losing morale, ideas come less frequently than before- we've hit a creative wall, if you will."

"Then perhaps I can find new ways to motivate them." Darkness coiled off of Vader's words. "Relocate Project _Supremacy_ here. I will personally see to it you keep to this production schedule."

Erso blinked quickly. His reluctance and fear now showed much more clearly on his face. "Of course, My Lord."

Vader's eyes narrowed. "Is there something unreasonable about this?"

"Not at all, My Lord." Galen replied. "It's just that... Project _Supremacy_ is still vulnerable. If word gets out of it's location, an attack may be imminent."

The Sith Lord's eyebrow rose, sending a icy chill down Galen's spine. "My orders are not to be questioned." He warned with a point of his glove covered finger.

"You're a scientist, not a military commander. Do not overstep your boundaries." Tarkin added his own warning.

Galen cleared his throat very subtly. "Yes, Governor, my Lord. My deepest apologies."

Vader turned his back to Erso.

"I will will not tolerate any more excuses from you, Galen Erso." He glanced over his shoulder at the scientist with a very cold, very clear threat lingering in his eyes. "I expect your return here within the week."

Galen Erso stood and nodded. "I shall look forward to working with you, Lord Vader."

"Don't disappoint me." Vader warned lowly.

Galen gulped. "I'm confident I won't."

Tarkin then reached forward and keyed a button on the conference table. The crackle of an officer over a comm sounded. "Escort Dr. Erso back to his ship."

The man left with a small escort, leaving the Emperor and the Grand Moff in silence until Erso was comfortably out of earshot.

"He's hiding something." Tarkin broke the silence.

Vader slowly nodded.

"Unsurprisingly. Director Krennic did kill his family." Tarkin stood, gazing out of the same window as the Emperor. "His loyalty to the Empire is questionable at best. Perhaps it's time to bring him fully into the First Order Initiative."

Surprisingly, The Dark Lord nodded his agreement. "I leave that to you."

"Very well."

— **\- - —**

The doors to Luke's new home - the Palace's medbay - hissed open and in walked the black clothed Sith Apprentice.

Luke winced as he pushed himself up and off of his bed. Starkiller was someone he did _not_ want to look weak in front of.

Luke gave the Sith a curt nod. "Starkiller."

The Sith Lord gave a similar nod.

Leia sensed a very thick tension between the two... something she found odd.

"We have things to discuss," Starkiller started, glancing toward Leia. "If we could have the room, please."

Leia gave Starkiller a brief, strange look before leaving the room.

Luke took a seat on the bed once the doors closed while Starkiller pulled one up and sat across from the Prince. "How did this happen?"

"I missed something." Luke replied. Glancing down at his hands, he shook his head. "Someone was in that hangar, Starkiller." He gravely said. "There were explosives planted _inside_ on the ray shield generators."

"And yet this attack slipped by you somehow?" The Sith inquired rather harshly. He stood up swiftly. "You may have convinced Lord Vader that you're capable of continuing to lead this investigation. I'm _not_ convinced." He firmly stated. "Something is clouding your judgment. I can sense it."

Luke's eyes narrowed. " _Nothing_ is clouding my judgment. I did sense something, but it was so... difficult to pinpoint."

Starkiller's eyebrow rose. He crossed his arms.

Luke sighed. "I don't know what you want me to tell you. There was an attack, people died and I didn't catch it in time. That's all there is to it. My mind is clouded and I _don't_ need to be lectured about my judgment."

Starkiller's scrutinizing gaze rested on Luke for a moment. "You've been trained to be better than this, Skywalker." He firmly reprimanded. "I suggest you meditate."

Rather than react in a hostile manner, Luke actually felt a bit of shame because he knew it was the truth. He _should've_ sensed this with much more clarity than he had. He just couldn't explain the flashes of blindness in the Force before the bombs detonated. What could have the power to disrupt his connection to conceal the danger as well as it had?

A light bulb suddenly went off in his head and Luke quickly glanced at the datapad on the table. "Evap Mod..." He muttered under his breath.

Starkiller tilted his head in confusion.

The datapad flew into Luke's hands and he intently stared down on it, swiping and tapping the screen until the files his Death Troopers had dug up for him appeared on the screen. "Evap Mods."

"What is that?"

Luke ignored for a moment as he read the reports over. "'An experimental implant... Contingency Protocol 51; Directive 89c-2 code name _Project Archetype_... Development of _Archetype_ was halted immediately as per Supreme Commander Darth Vader's orders upon declaration of Imperial Rule under Galactic Emperor Palpatine, citing total failure of intended purpose. Jedi prisoners exposed to _Archetype_ continue to lose all cognitive function after an average of 3 minutes of activation.'..." Luke read. He skimmed down. "' _Archetype_ has failed to reprogram the mind of a Force sensitive sentient... Imperial Directive 91c-7 code name _Phantom Project_ has been derived from _Archetype's_ failure... Tests show that Clones equipped with _Phantom Project_ successfully nullify the mind control and sensory abilities of Jedi abilities...'" Luke looked up at Starkiller with widened eyes. He tapped on the device in his hands. "Evap Mods. That's what the soldiers called them."

Interested, Starkiller took the datapad from Luke, eyeing the report just as intently as Luke had. "Development was halted by Lord Vader. Apparently there was strange side effect that caused some Jedi to go mad when confronted with an Inquisitor equipped with one." Starkiller explained what he was reading. "It made them more dangerous to combat. Five members of the Inquisitorius were killed."

"That's it..." Luke concluded. "Force... that's it."

Starkiller placed the datapad on the table once more. The information was concerning to say the least.

Luke then exhaled a heavy breath, eyes closed as a realization crashed down on him. "Ben..."

"Who?"

Luke looked at his companion. "Benjamin Thule. He's Leia's head of security... I caught him with one when I first got here. I thought he was a Jedi but he showed me the Evap Mod. I might not have been exposed to it long enough to feel the effects right then, but... he was absent the day of the attack."

"You think he's a Jedi?" Starkiller questioned.

Luke nodded. "I think so. Question is, why would he want to kill Bail Organa when he's supposed to be protecting him?"

"Is that really relevant?" Starkiller gazed questioningly. "The point is, if he is a Jedi and he's using one of those devices, that means you _are_ a target."

"Maybe." Luke conceded. "Or maybe the Princess... she's untrained but strong."

The Sith's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"My father knows." Luke said before Starkiller could protest. "My plan is to train her for a loyal successor. But that's not the point."

"Where is this Benjamin Thule now?"

"He's with Agent 13 checking out a potential lead." Luke informed. "13 should be capable of handling him, but I want confirmation before anybody takes action."

"If he's a suspected Jedi, we don't need confirmation." Starkiller reminded sharply. "Give the order to have him executed."

Luke glared for a moment. "I _said_ I want confirmation."

Starkiller's jaw tensed a few times while he gave Luke a glare of his own.

"I'm not you!" Luke defended. "I don't just prance around killing people out of paranoia. I want to make sure he's a Jedi before taking any action!"

Starkiller shook his head in angered irritation. "You're making a mistake." He warned.

"Then let _me_ deal with the consequences."

"Lord Vader won't be happy with this." Starkiller heatedly warned. "Reconsider."

Skywalker shook his head. "No, I don't think I will."

Starkiller's anger spiked. "You're thinking like a Jedi."

"And that's somehow an issue?" Luke rose his chin confidently. "I'm not a Sith. I'm free to show mercy when I see fit." He firmly stated.

Starkiller swiftly stood up. "You're definitely not a Sith." He snapped. Glaring at his comrade for a moment, he turned. "As you're so quick to remind everybody." He spoke in a dark voice. "You _will_ deal with the consequences of your decision alone."

The doors to the bay opened and he swiftly walked out, leaving Luke staring after him until they closed.

Sorrow shot through Luke at such blatant disdain for him that Starkiller showed. He couldn't help but feel responsible for driving them so far apart. It pained him, remembering how close they used to be and when that all changed.

Luke sighed softly. "You had a choice too..."

— _**\- - —**_

Obi Wan Kenobi was once a renown general and a great warrior. Even without Anakin, the Jedi Master was capable of feats thought as impossible. Obi Wan and the Jedi used to be heroes. Now they were considered traitorous scum by many citizens of the Empire.

Standing feet away from the bunker door on Alderaan's Appenza Peak with the hilt of his saber in hand, his feats during the Clone Wars were fresh in his mind. All of his training and experience as a veteran soldier still right at his disposal. But, his status as a Jedi and the fact that it was illegal to be a Jedi was also forefront.

Glancing up, the old Jedi Master noted that his comrade for the day, Agent 13 was nearly finished making a hole to climb through into the bunker. Obi Wan wondered if the man was at least a smidge Force sensitive, because Obi Wan certainly did feel the man's apprehension and battle readiness. They both knew something was in this bunker. That something wasn't friendly either.

The reality of Obi Wan resorting to the use of his lightsaber was unavoidable. He knew this, and somehow that Agent knew this.

For a brief moment, he wondered how long Agent 13 had known... and if the man knew exactly _who_ he was.

The thought was purged from his mind when a slight, mechanical whirring tickled his ears.

In four, strategic positions around the clearing, the snow shook and was brushed aside by some sort of metallic dome rising.

Ben spared a glance at the Agent who had completed his hole and was looking expectantly down at the Jedi.

A very strange nod from the Agent put Obi Wan's apprehension about revealing himself at ease for the moment. Right now, Agent 13 needed Obi Wan to be a Jedi. Perhaps it was the only way he would survive this encounter...

With a low sigh, the rod of plasma shot out of Obi Wan's hilt.

Agent 13 spared a short look then crawled through the hole.

Obi Wan was in action before the first of four turrets in a square around him took it's shot. Spinning gracefully around, the satisfying sound of a predicted blaster shot rang through the mountainside, spearing right into Obi Wan's blade, angled precisely. With a puff of smoke, the bright red bold of energy bounced at a wide angle and melted into the turret across.

Obi Wan twirled his blade, facing the two turrets behind echoing pings of burst fire shots. He ducked and weaved, swinging his lightsaber in short arcs to reflect the most lethal. In a mere moment, the turret that had fired first exploded in a show of sparks.

Red spears of laser-fire bounced harmlessly away from the Jedi into the snow around him. The third turret suddenly had a hole right through the dome covering, still glowing dull orange as it sparked in malfunction.

Ben advanced toward the last, ducking under the first of three burst fire rounds, weaving around the second and slapping the third back at the offending machine with a backhand slice of his lightsaber.

The bunker door rattled. Caked snow fell and with a bellowing lurch, it rose up slowly.

The Jedi Master brought his saber up in a two-handed grip, sensing the danger to be far from over.

Light flooded through into the bunker's dark interior. Obi Wan swiftly scanned his foes.

More than a dozen black-clad men. Those same Spec. Ops soldiers who'd attacked the Morning Side Cafe.

A hail of red sprayed out right toward him.

The Force took Obi Wan.

With speed that shouldn't have been possible for a man of his years, Ben dashed forward, reflecting those blaster shots that would've hit.

The first of the squad buckled, falling forward as the right leg he once had was sliced clean through at the knee. Obi Wan popped back up, spinning his saber to reflect a shot right back at the offending shooter before plunging the saber into the legless soldier's back.

His blue saber blurred back and forth, and the crimson lances of blaster bolts bounced around him as if they'd shot rubber balls at a metallic dome.

One by one, soldiers fell. Each of them in a small eruption of sparks until there were just three.

The last three Sacred Way Spec. Ops stopped their firing. Fear smoked off of them in waves through the Force. Disbelieving shock clouded their minds. They slowly backed up.

Obi Wan eyed them calculatingly. "Lay down your weapons and you may keep your lives." The Master offered in a stern voice.

They hesitated.

"I do not wish to-"

An almost literal spear of bright purple smacked into the ground, shooting bright sparks flying around in front of one of the men, leaving a rather gaping hole right through his torso. Before the soldier hit the floor, the one next to his head snapped forward, whip-lashed from the purple shot that hit the ground in the same spectacle of destruction.

The last of the Sacred Way men spun and held his gun tight, aiming it toward the rafters above. Three stray shots sounded out, hitting nothing but metal.

Ben spotted Agent 13 kneeling on a beam. His large sniper rifle sounded with a sharp boom, and the last man was sent sprawling onto the floor a few feet backward.

13 stood and dropped to the bunker's open floor deeper inside.

Obi Wan cautiously made his way toward the man, finding him fiddling with a panel in front of what seemed to be a turbolift.

"You're as impressive as they say, Master Kenobi." 13 sharply spoke without looking at the Jedi.

Wondering why he didn't sense an immediate threat from the Agent, Ben trusted the Force and deactivated his saber. "I suppose Anakin settles for nothing but the best for his personal agents." Obi Wan dully replied. "Why didn't you turn me in?"

"You're useful." 13 replied dryly. The turbolift hissed open. "I'm aware of the potential uses a temporary alliance with the famed _Negotiator_ would be." He motioned for the Jedi to follow him into the lift. "I won't kill you."

Obi Wan craned an eyebrow. "For now..." He sarcastically added for the Agent.

He entered the lift and it shut as the men stood side by side. "It's too obvious for this to simply be a hideout." 13 began. He held out his hand toward Obi Wan expectantly.

Ben relinquished the loaned pistol and the Agent inspected it before keeping it in his grip.

"I suspect they're protecting a weapon." 13 added.

Obi Wan turned to the agent curiously. "What kind of weapon?"

"That's what I'm here to figure out."

Ben sensed danger and acted immediately as the lift stopped and it's doors opened.

A brief feeling of surprise went through him at the men who suddenly opened fire in the lit hallway the lift had stopped at.

Stormtroopers.

Whipping out his lightsaber, Obi Wan masterfully deflected fire while Agent 13 blasted targets with brutal precision from the cover the Jedi Master had provided. But even the great Obi Wan Kenobi had his limits.

More stormtroopers piled out from around the corner and immediately opened fire. Cringing, the Master refocused his efforts and pushed himself to his limits, if only for the moment. "Find cover!" He shouted over the chaos.

Agent 13 dove to the side, pressing his back against the wall with a rectangular protrusion for cover.

Obi Wan swiftly shifted into cover across from 13.

The two men glanced at each other as if silently communicating.

13 reached into his coat, producing a baby's fist sized device. With a glance out of cover, the Agent looked at Obi Wan who nodded.

Tossing the device in the air, Obi Wan reached out with the Force and flicked his wrist. The device soared down the hallway, each of the soldiers pausing in order to process the realization of what the device meant.

Obi Wan and 13 covered and braced themselves.

A sharp detonation cracked through the air and fire scorched the walls after a concussive force.

Agent 13 peeled away first with his pistol aimed ahead. He squeezed the trigger of his pistol, each shot finding their marks right in the center of each living stormtrooper's helmet.

Obi Wan's saber shot back to life as he kept pace with 13, defending from the few shots that came at them from the smoke and debris.

The Imperial Agent executed the last one alive.

Obi Wan took cover at the corner, peering around to find it satisfyingly clear. "These are Imperials." He glanced at his companion.

The Agent ejected the used up blaster gas cartridge and reloaded his weapon before leaning down and swiping up one of the dead troopers' E-11 rifles.

"Not that I mind." Obi Wan added with a teasing shrug. "You knew... didn't you?"

The passiveness on the Agent's face gave the answer away.

"You used me." Ben concluded.

"Yes." 13 confirmed. "Very little would have been accomplished if I broke in by myself."

"Well, do you have a plan to break _out_?"

"I've gotten this far, haven't I?"

"Touché." Obi Wan acknowledged.

The man simply gave the Jedi a sharp glare before taking the lead and turning the corner. "Before we leave, I need confirmation of the weapon's location. It's here if my suspicions are correct."

Obi Wan followed 13, sheathing his saber. "The Empire is creating a weapon and you need to find out what it is... so you're a Rebel?" Obi Wan asked. "Explains why I'm still not in handcuffs."

"You're smarter than that, Kenobi." The Agent admonished sharply. "We need to find a communications center."

"Why?"

"So I can inform Lord Vader that the Sacred Way is a puppet for his enemies." 13 sharply answered. He pulled out a personal comm device and tossed it to the Jedi. "Search for the weapon. It's code name is C-28. Once you find it, scan it and rendezvous with me at the south end of the structure."

Obi Wan rose an eyebrow. "What's to stop me from making an escape?"

"That's entirely your choice, Kenobi." The Agent stopped and stared dead in his eyes. "These men work for a governing council loyal to Emperor Palpatine. And they're building a weapon. I'm sure that, despite your differences, even you would feel safer with whatever information we find here being given to Lord Vader..."

Obi Wan searched the Agent's face for any hints of deception. Or even something to indicate that the graveness of the situation wasn't as serious as portrayed.

Even the Force whispered the graveness of the situation.

Something that could pick apart the Galaxy. Something like... the Death Star.

Anakin handled that weapon the first time and simultaneously took care of the evil Sith Lord who commissioned it. Despite their differences, Obi Wan _did_ feel like Vader would have the better resources to handle this new development more efficiently than the Rebellion could.

That wouldn't stop him from alerting the Rebel Alliance though.

Obi Wan nodded. "South end."

Agent 13 curtly split off.

— _**\- - —**_

Meditation was fruitless. Luke was much to distracted to even think about being manipulated somehow. The Force was alive with such uncertainty, as if he'd just become aware that he was standing in the middle of a Gundark pit while hundreds of them slept peacefully. Any small movement on his part would bring forth his own destruction.

Tension was mounting, and quickly. But why, Luke had no idea.

He did know, however that worrying about it wasn't the wisest of options. He gave up on silent meditation and opted to find Leia. She was sure to provide some sort of rousing conversation to keep him occupied while Starkiller was busy in various meetings.

Eve had fallen on Aldera Palace, and with it, the cold chill of winter. Even with the climate control and radiant heat from the floors, Luke still found himself wrapped up in his robes, fully dressed still. He'd hoped to walk through the forests surrounding the palace a bit, explore just what Alderaan was.

And he was hoping Leia would accompany him.

He found her in the mid levels of the Palace, behind a rather opulent set of doors that lead to what Luke could assume was the Master Suite. Her mind was a jumble of emotions.

He reached out and knocked tentatively on the door.

It only took a few moments for the doors to slide open, revealing Leia who was once more struggling desperately not to cry. She smiled at Luke.

"Um, sorry for bothering you. I can come back if you're busy."

She gave him a funny look. "No, it's okay." She giggled. "What can I do for you?"

"I couldn't sleep very well." Luke started. "I was thinking... would you like to... come take a walk with me?" He asked rather dumbly, having no idea how to actually comfort her.

Her gaze lingered on him for a moment before she turned back to the room. "Yeah, I do actually." She said. "Better than sorting all of their stuff out." She added in a near whisper.

"Grab a coat."

"Luke, it's freezing outside." She said with a small smile.

The Prince merely shrugged. "That's why I told you to grab a coat."

She followed Luke through the Palace until they exited into the vast property the Royal building was on.

In comfortable silence, Luke and Leia walked through the snow. Both had come to enjoy each other's presence.

Luke's gaze turned upward, staring at the cloud covered sky. "That's a shame."

Leia stood next to him, mirroring his gaze. "No stars." She finished for him.

He glanced at her with a smile. "They're there." He stared back up at the white sky. "I just can't see them hidden behind that thick layer of clouds and Star Destroyers."

It seemed to her like he was trying to speak metaphorically again. "Well, you brought those Destroyers."

He tilted his head with a light chuckle. "Not _all_ of them."

She conceded the point. "True. You're not completely responsible. I suppose we should place some blame on Lord Starkiller for this."

Luke chuckled. He stared at her, eyes dancing in amusement. "My father, more like." He took a moment to look at what ships visible in the clouds. "He doesn't want to be here anymore than you want him here."

"It certainly seems that way." She smiled sadly. "You guys are like brothers, huh." She found a small rock to take a seat on.

Luke pursed his lips. "In... a way." He stood next to her makeshift seat. "I've known him all my life. My dad found him on Kashyyk before he found me. His parents were Jedi..."

She frowned and looked away uncomfortably, knowing what Vader did to secure Starkiller.

"We were close once." Luke said, fondness clearly in his voice. "Like brothers, I guess. But when my father took control of the Empire and began my training... my decision not to join the Sith drove a wedge between us."

Leia eyed Luke with curiosity on her face.

Luke shook his head. "He's more... resentful of me now."

"Because you made a decision?" She queried.

"No... because I was given the freedom to make that decision." He clarified. "Starkiller doesn't believe he ever had a choice."

"To be fair..." Leia started.

Luke shook his head. "No, my father always treated us as equally as he could. I mean, I am his son... but he has a connection with Starkiller. He still raised him." Luke reasoned. "I know that my father wouldn't discard a thoughtful consideration to leave the Sith on Starkiller's part. The Sith are a dying breed as it is..."

"But Starkiller wasn't outright _given_ the choice like you were." Leia countered. "There's merit in his discontent."

"Yeah... and I hate to play the family card, but I have certain advantages when it comes to my father that Starkiller doesn't." Luke admitted. "Thing is, Starkiller tries too hard to be perfect and earn the same... level of attention."

"I imagine it's hard for him." Leia forlornly said. "Vader killed his parents and took him for his power. He might feel somewhat discarded when you came into the picture."

Luke nodded. "You're right. But how can he place that blame on me?" His voice hardened a bit. "I've treated him like family my whole life. To me, he _is_ a brother. But to him, I'm just... competition." He clenched his fists. "He acts so superior. Sits on his high horse and tries to tell me what I'm doing is wrong. He questions my decisions and my motives every chance he gets like he's my teacher. He's not! He's my equal and he just... he just won't acknowledge it."

Leia laughed lightly.

Luke gave her a questioning stare.

"Sounds like you're brothers to me."

Luke didn't notice the soft tinge of sadness in her voice.

With a sigh, he sat next to her, his gaze fell upon her coat tails, a splash of mud in the fur lined edge. He grabbed the edge and began picking out the mud.

"What about you?" Luke asked. "No brothers or sisters?"

She shook her head, looking away from him. "I had a friend that grew up with me in the Palace, but she's moved off planet."

Luke pursed his lips, nodding slightly.

"And, ah... I had a twin." Luke looked up at her, dropping her coat. "But he died when we were babies."

A twinge of regret and sorrow flashed through their bond. "Sorry." Luke muttered.

She shook her head. "You didn't know. Tragedy seems to revolve around my family. I've gotten used to it."

Luke huffed rather ironically. "I know the feeling."

She looked away, twiddling her fingers a bit uncomfortably.

"It's kind of weird, don't you think?" Luke glanced up at her. "You and I being born on the same day, Starkiller just a few months before us..." She tilted her head in slight confusion. "And we're all Force sensitive." He chuckled. "Like the Force brought us all together. All the Children of the Force."

She shrugged. "I don't know much about it, to be honest."

"I can teach you." He offered, staring directly into her eyes.

She felt her mouth go dry for a moment.

Breaking eye contact, she shook her head. "I don't think..."

"C'mon Leia, it'll be fun!"

She sighed. The irony didn't allude her. The son of a Sith teaching a Jedi about the Force. "Your father would surely never approve."

He shrugged his shoulders, picking up a rock and tossing it onto the frozen surface of a stream before them. "I'm not Sith. I can teach whoever I want." He chuckled. "And who cares what that old man thinks anyways?"

"I do!" She said. "I rather like having my head connected to my shoulders!"

Luke rolled his eyes. "He won't kill you." He said sarcastically. "As long as you don't use your power to fight him..."

"But I would." She quickly said, earning a rather sharp glare from Luke.

"You're sounding like a Rebel." He warned.

"Maybe sometimes rebellion is warranted." She shrugged. "I don't know. I just want to live my life here, quietly and make the best decisions for my people."

Luke let his glare rest. It wasn't worth pressing the debate. "The life of royalty is never quiet, Princess. There will be other revolutionaries. Wouldn't you like the power to stop any of that without having to rely on the Empire?"

She shook her head. "No." She smiled. "I couldn't deny myself your charming presence."

He chuckled. "It's hard to explain the Force." He leaned back on the rock, back resting against it as he stared into the sky. "It's there, but it's not, you can feel it but you don't know you're feeling it..." He shrugged. "If you listen to it, it tells you what it wants."

"I think I kind of know what you're talking about." She said in a low voice after a moment of pause. "Like... warmth."

He nodded. Warmth. "The Light Side." A ghost of a smile rested on his lips.

"What's... the Dark Side feel like?" She tentatively asked, almost immediately regretting her question. Was she honestly curious?

"Exhilarating." He put it plainly. "Like you're unstoppable. You can accomplish anything. No more inhibitions, the knowledge of what it feels like to love and hate without restriction. Nobody can tell you no." He looked at her, a surge of exhilaration shot through their bond. She almost gasped at the feelings, but quickly understood them. Everything he said... "It's freedom."

Almost instantly, the exhilaration stopped, taking all of it's emotions and energy with it. She felt... empty. She sighed a shaky sigh as fear of what she just felt gripped her.

"It removes your fear." He said lowly. "You can live a life without fear, Leia."

She smiled weakly at him. "I should-" She stuttered. "Go back. It's late."

Luke exhaled a deep breath and nodded slowly, blinking his eyes slowly at his defeat.

"I'll... see you tomorrow."

Luke watched her leave.

Opening someone up to the Dark Side was never an easy task...

But it only seemed to intensify her pain.

His own heart clenched at the thought of him bringing her pain.

Curious.

— _**\- - —**_

It was every emotion at once, each one pounding incessantly, annoyingly, painfully.

It was greed, and lust, and anger, all just bombarding her.

 _The knowledge of what it feels like to love and hate without restrictions. It's freedom._

Somehow she knew it was true. And that thought scared her to her very core. She was jealous of Luke for being able to feel those things, to be able to soar with nothing holding him back, to walk into any situation with no fear, no doubts. To know he was powerful enough to do anything.

She wanted that! And it made her so angry to know she could never have it! If she did, she'd have had the power to stop her father's death! She would have stopped it with that power, she just knew it.

When was it that her plan to convert Luke to the Jedi so quickly backfired? Why was she so jealous of him? So interested in his speeches? Why did he make so much sense when she constantly questioned her Master's teachings!?

 _Freedom..._

Leia felt her own anger building at her thoughts.

Where the hell was Master Kenobi when she needed him?!


	7. Chapter 7: Phase 2

— **\- - —**

 **Chapter** **7**

— **\- - —**

 _Isn't it strange? We were born on the same day-_

 _I had a twin, but he died when we were babies._

 _We have a bond. A strong bond. We're connected..._

Luke Skywalker's mind couldn't possibly have been more muddled. His meditation up in his room was so bogged down with questions. Conspiracy, really.

But... was it?

The Force was trying to tell him something and Luke was either resisting it, or flat out unable to decipher what it was. These whispers sounded crazy. Absurd...

But the more he denied it, the more the Force was becoming more and more clear. He could hear it speak to him with such clarity. A clarity he'd _never_ before sensed. Recalling his conversations added to this clarity.

 _The Jedi tried to kidnap you... they_ did _kidnap me._

Luke glanced toward the wall where Leia's room was beyond the hallway. She'd been avoiding him. Did she know?

Was _he_ even really sure?

The felt an urgency for answers.

Answers he felt he already knew...

— **\- - —**

For nine hundred years Master Yoda had been alive, and during his near millennia of existence, he did manage to pick up some useful tricks and wisdom of how the Galaxy generally worked. Admittedly, he became so confident in his ability to see the future, to sense the Dark Side. So confident that the notion a Sith Lord existing right under his nose seemed inscrutable. While the blame did not rest solely on him alone, he did play his part in the downfall of the Jedi Order, and the loss of Anakin Skywalker to the Dark Side.

Darth Vader was an adversary that Yoda severely wished he didn't have. Yoda was at least able to keep an adversary like Darth Sidious on his toes, even frighten him to an extent. But Vader was in a league beyond Sidious and Yoda. Beyond comprehension, if he were honest with himself. He knew it from the moment Anakin Skywalker arrived on Coruscant all those years ago, shining like the sun in the clouds. Power like his was dangerous when coupled with emotions of an untrained boy.

At least... that's what Yoda had thought. He practically predicted Skywalker's fall, and did everything in his power to prevent that.

It was only now that he realized his actions and those by the Council collectively had only added to Skywalker's demise. Blinded by dogma and unwilling to change under any circumstance. Somewhere along the way, the Jedi Order had lost sight of what it was. Protectors of peace had turned into holy warriors who thought themselves needed by the Galaxy. The Jedi Order became arrogant and dogmatic, adhering to a strict code of conduct that failed to evolve like the Sith's had.

In fear of Anakin's power, they held him back. Dulling his connection with the Force as if making him easier to tame.

Yoda and the Council tried to wean Anakin of his emotions, urged him not to forge bonds of any kind. They requested a boy taken from his mother, uncertain of his, or her futures, and told him to _just cope_ with the loss, punishing him for attempting to fill that hole in his heart.

When Obi Wan began showing signs of attachment, the Council berated him. They shamed love in the name of peace, when in reality it was only in fear.

 _"Attachments lead to jealousy; the shadow of greed, that is."_

It was no wonder Anakin felt so disconnected and alienated from the Order, emotionally stunted by his Masters at the age of nine, unable to emotionally mature in fear of punishment, or in an attempt to earn some sort of acknowledgement. Any form of attention other than a robotic congratulations or a lecture on the Jedi Code. The Jedi Council pushed Anakin Skywalker at Sidious. No, they served him up on a silver platter.

It was only ironic that their utter failure to recognize Anakin's emotions and handle them properly lead to their ultimate destruction.

They had created Darth Vader's circumstances. And what was more terrifying was that he now had nobody to hold him back. Vader had access to all of the Jedi's knowledge and all of the Sith's. Darth Vader's power honed to a precision and control comparable to that of Sidious. There was no limit to what Vader could accomplish. To what he could destroy.

Perhaps they'd been _lucky_ that Anakin Skywalker had finally matured from a brash, irresponsible Jedi Knight into the picture perfect image of control that Vader was.

But, to say that put Yoda at ease would be false. It only added to the list of terrifying Darth Vader facts. Darth Vader was now capable of patience, and was studious and intelligent. With thousands of years of Sith knowledge at his fingertips, there was no telling just how powerful Vader had become. How powerful his student and son had become.

And then he thought about it.

This new disturbance in the Force... the one that made Master Yoda realize the necessity of abandoning his exile. It was frightening. Yoda was perhaps the only being in existence with such a deep, rich knowledge of the Force to sense this threat with any sort of clarity. It would drag the Galaxy into the most brutal war it had ever experienced.

The Republic would never have been prepared for this, militarily. The Jedi would never have thought a force like this could exist. It would've been too late.

Perhaps the Force took matters into it's own hand, forcing the downfall of Anakin Skywalker to give the Galaxy the dark power and viscousness to counter this threat.

Whatever was the case, he was actually grateful for Darth Vader. He had taught Yoda a lot, humbled the old Jedi Master like nobody was able to.

He only wished it didn't happen too late.

It was never too late! What was he doing right now! Fixing his mistakes. Rebuilding the Galaxy to make it strong enough to face the coming threat!

He nodded to himself, reaffirming his resolve.

The fleet came out of hyperspace while the diminutive Jedi Master leaned on his cane on the bridge of the MC80 star cruiser _Liberty_. The picture before him was astounding to say the least, given the Rebel Alliance's limited resources.

Over 30 capital ships split into five very capable fleets with the accompanying carriers, corvettes, freighters, frigates, gunships - so on so forth.

"Master Yoda..." A senior officer leaned over to him. "Admiral Gial Ackbar of Alliance High Command."

The screen above the viewports fazed with static for a brief moment before the Mon Calamari's picture fazed in. _"Master Yoda. It's a great pleasure to have you."_ He was seated on the bridge of his command ship, _Home One_.

"My thanks, Admiral." Yoda humbly replied.

 _"Alliance Command has held a vote this afternoon and would like to offer you a seat at the council."_ Ackbar revealed. _"With your knowledge of the Force and tactical experience, your input would be greatly valued, Master Jedi. We hope to see you as a rallying point for other Jedi Knights scattered across the Galaxy."_

"Accept this offer, I do." Yoda responded. "Briefing I will need. Yes, converging is the Alliance?"

 _"On our location."_

"Planning a strike you are?" The Jedi Master asked pointedly.

 _"We are."_ The Admiral spun on his chair, and the screen on Yoda's end split in two. One side revealed some sort of file. _"Our spies have come across a secret fleet located in the Terrabe Sector. A planet called NaJedha."_ The file changed to a data readout of the planet and several low-res images taken from far away. In the pictures, said fleet was visible and there was one ship in particular that stood out considerably. _"This ship is called the_ Arbitrator _. It's classified as a Super Star Destroyer. High Command is holding a conference discussing a strategy to destroy this new threat."_

Yoda's worry doubled. The existence of such a ship was troubling. But his previous thoughts created a split in his appraisal. A morbid feeling told him that this machine of war may be necessary. "Then to your ship, I will go. Needed, my advice will be."

 _"Of course, Master Yoda."_

— **\- - —**

Since the initial two skirmishes, no other resistance came Obi Wan's way. Usually, pockets of resistance meant he was headed in the right direction. Now, he was just aimlessly roaming the hallways of what seemed to be an empty bunker. And only recently emptied at that.

Stopping now at the third command terminal he'd come across, Obi Wan found it in the same state as the others. Corrupted data disconnected with any sort of mainframe. Whatever weapon Agent 13 was after could very well be in the bunker, but due to the size and... well, emptiness of the whole place, it wasn't likely they'd find it with just two people anytime soon.

Redundant and wasteful as the situation seemed, the Force nagged Obi Wan to continue his search. There was apparently still something to gain.

Ben continued his trek through the facility, traversing through empty bunks, passing a deserted commissary that still had the lingering scent of food and community showers that still had a musky scent and water on the tiled ground.

Obi Wan rose his comlink. "They've only recently left."

He stood still for a moment, expecting a response. After a moment, he assumed Agent 13 was preoccupied with something, so he moved forward.

Coming to another set of turbolifts, Obi Wan decided to take his search to the ground floor. Once there, the lift opened to a near identical set of hallways as the first few floors he'd walked through. He let out a tired sigh before stepping into the halls.

Expecting not to find anything, he was pleasantly surprised when he came across a larger hallway with only a single, sealed blast door at it's end. Fingering the controls, he realized the door had been locked from the inside. Not jammed, however. Just locked.

The Jedi lifted his hand, waving it toward his side in midair. The door let out a small whine before something inside snapped. It slowly opened, scraping against it's protesting gears and the track it usually glided over.

Obi Wan stepped into the darkened room. The lights flashed on when he entered.

The room was very large. The entrance he was at was on an elevated platform that housed a large, round table and various control panels. Beyond it was what looked to be a hangar bay large enough to fit at least five _Tantive IV_ sized corvettes. It came complete with massive blast doors that presumably exited out of a cliff of the Appenza Peak's mountainside.

"There is no weapon here, my friend." Obi Wan spoke through the comlink.

 _"Not anymore."_ The Agent chirped back. _"It seems they've escaped with it in tow."_

"How? It's not as if they rolled it off the side of a mountain." Ben sarcastically shot back as he moved to inspect the control panels on the platform he was at.

 _"Curious as it is, how they moved it is irrelevant."_ 13 logically replied. _"Do you have a data chip?"_

"Yes." Ben scanned over the control panel, finding the release for the hangar door's magnetic seal next to the button that opened and closed it.

Ben turned the seal off.

 _"Catalogue anything you come across."_ Agent 13 ordered stiffly. _"If you find a usable command terminal."_

The massive hangar doors shook as they began to squeal open against the years of rust and age the bunker had collected.

However, no light seemed to flood the room. In fact, the light from the hangar seemed to flood what lay beyond. "Curious..."

One of two of the hangar doors stood wide open. Only, they weren't _hangar_ doors. They were, in fact, bunker doors.

 _"What is it?"_

Obi Wan looked around him, finding the tall ceiling to be carved rock. He was underground.

The Jedi Master reached for a pocket-sized datapad. The compass said he faced north-west which meant the obvious tunnel branched out south-west.

In Aldera City's direction.

Fear gripped the Jedi. He quickly spun and raced back through the hallways toward the lift. "They didn't escape with the weapon." He pounded the lift's controls.

 _"What?"_

"They mobilized it!" Obi Wan gravely exclaimed. "Contact the Palace immediately!"

— **\- - —**

"Most data on these has been destroyed."

Luke Skywalker scanned all of the compiled documentation on the Evap Mod devices that Starkiller was able to scrounge up as the two walked briskly down the bright hallways of the Palace from the hangar bay.

"Thirteen years ago, Sidious commissioned a device meant for bending the minds of captured Jedi to his will." Starkiller surmised. "Your father banned it after a failed test on a Jedi Padawan that resulted in an unstable pulse of Force energy that killed seven men."

Luke briefly scanned over the details of that incident.

"Afterwards, Sidious had his scientists repurpose the tech to use some sort of shield in order to allow soldiers to become invisible in the Force. Mind trick techniques were nearly impossible. Evap Mods were cleared for use within the ISB and Inquisitorius after less than five field tests." Starkiller continued. "Your father equipped a group of three Inquisitors with these Mods and sent them after Jedi Master Kirak Infil'a on a moon called Al'doleem. It's suggested that Jedi exposed to Evap Mods equipped to a trained Force users experience some sort of Force-induced madness. Lord Vader himself had to step in and kill Master Infil'a personally."

Luke shut the device off and handed it back to one of the tailing Death Troopers. "And there's no way of combating this side effect." He concluded.

"There may have been, but Sidious had most of the information on these destroyed. I was only able to get the information I needed from Lord Vader's personal files."

Skywalker shook his head with a sigh. "It seems pointless to bury the existence of this tech."

"I agree, but we should be focussing on the attacker." Starkiller reminded. "If this Ben character _is_ a Jedi like you think-"

"My Lords!"

Luke and Starkiller halted, turning toward a red-faced, heaving Riley Tyrus who took a moment to catch his breath, hunched over. "My Lords, Agent 13 just made contact... he believes the Sacred Way is on their way to Aldera City with the C-28 weapon through some old tunnel system from a bunker in the mountains."

Luke and Starkiller glanced at each other in surprise.

"He told me to urge you to deploy troops immediately."

Luke swiftly addressed the Death Troopers. "Inform the Grand Admiral. Get the Princess off planet immediately."

They saluted and quickly left.

Luke and Starkiller hastily made their way through the Palace toward a strategy room while Riley followed. Several other officers joined them on the way with gestures from Luke.

"Mobilize the Noble Guard and whatever garrison is immediately available." Starkiller barked as they entered the room. "We'll have to fall back on whatever strategic defense protocol the Guard has in place until the battle starts."

The various officers took places at communications desks and began relaying orders.

Starkiller leaned over the large, round holo table. A 3-D image of Aldera City came up. "There's no point of entry on this map."

"Someone get me information on these tunnels!" Luke shouted.

Admiral Thrawn's holo formed on one of the several holo plates surrounding the table quickly followed by a handful of naval and ground force Captains and Commanders. _"Ground forces are being deployed as we speak."_ Thrawn wasted no time. _"Until we gather more information on C-28, I've ordered the fleet out of Alderaan's orbit."_

"Prince Skywalker! General Tesh." An officer called out.

The cityscape's hologram was replaced by the Noble Guard's leader. _"Gentlemen. Civilians are being evacuated as quickly as possible. I'm transmitting all information regarding the ancient catacombs."_ His image shrunk with the city coming back into view, this time with pronounced, red highlights running below it. _"As you can see, the tunnels have twelve entry points and lead directly to an old, abandoned bunker at Appenza Peak. These will be where the enemy exits, however the tunnels haven't been used in centuries. The entry points have long been permanently sealed off. They'll have to blast their way out."_

 _"Which means we'll hear them coming."_ Thrawn surmised. _"General Tesh, send three battle groups to the furthest of these entry points."_

 _"Uh... Admiral, it's not likely they'll attack from there."_ Tesh informed.

 _"I'm aware."_ Thrawn curtly replied. _"Like always, the Sacred Way will rely on a chaotic entry and hope to ride the chaos to victory."_ Four of the marked entry points brightened. _"I suspect these four points will be where they decide to focus the majority of their forces and attack first for the most damage. Let them have their destruction, General, and while they advance through the points with high hopes, our fighters will focus fire. Your men and an Imperial garrison will be in an advantageous position to box the remaining troops in on the outskirts of the Palace's property line. From there, our bombers will end this battle with a single strike."_

 _"I see."_ Tesh conceded. _"My men will be in position."_

 _"Good."_ The Grand Admiral nodded. _"You will lead this battle, Starkiller. I want you to hold a firm defense in Zone 6."_

The Sith gave a quick nod.

 _"Prince Skywalker, you'll be receiving reinforcement troops to hold the Palace should anything get in."_

"Yes, Admiral."

" _Air support has entered the atmosphere. A transport is waiting for you, Starkiller."_

Starkiller gave Luke a look and he pulled an object out of his robes and tossed it to Luke. A lightsaber. One of Starkiller's trophy weapons. They exchanged a quick nod before the Sith Lord briskly left the room.

"We have two hundred men on standby." An officer reported.

"Anti-vehicle batteries primed and ready."

" _I will contact the Emperor. Notify me when the battle has commenced."_ Admiral Thrawn phased out of view.

"Is Princess Leia secured?" Luke glanced over to Riley.

"I'll find out, my Lord." The man turned on his heels.

Luke's eyes rested on the holographic map for a moment. His forehead scrunched in concerned concentration. He sensed her. And he sensed the Force was with her. "No need, Agent."

Riley stopped.

Luke brushed passed the man. "I want constant updates."

"Yes... sir."

Luke motioned for his Death Troopers to follow.

— **\- - —**

Ion Engines roared, vibrating the open drop ship while Starkiller held onto the hand rails above him. Aldera City was alive in coordinated chaos below. Noble Guardsmen were escorting hordes of citizens back toward a designated safe zone while Imperial troop transports were touching down and setting up command posts. White troops flooded through the streets, weaving through the crowds of civilians. Starkiller eyed the four zones the Sacred Way was bound to enter through, mentally memorizing their locations as they passed over them. All four had large buildings surrounding them, evacuated first.

The Force tingled at the back of Starkiller's neck shooting a surge of excitement through him.

The transport lurched down, coming to a hovering stop at the forward command post with several other ships landing moments after.

Starkiller hopped off the ship, troopers following.

The stormtrooper commander approached with a salute. "Sir."

The Sith Lord walked passed him and made way for the mobile holo-table with the same hologram of the city. Slowly, dim blips began to show up in the tunnel system, majority of the forces at the four locations as Thrawn had predicted. Starkiller's location wasn't far from one of the entry points. It seemed the Noble Guard was in their position as well. Starkiller jammed a button on the table. "All fighters converge on zones 5, 1, 8 and 3."

The howl of TIE/LN ships sounded from the skies in response.

The blips on the screen edged closer to the points.

 _Easy victory_. Starkiller thought.

Just as it exited his mind, an alert beeped through the table. Starkiller's eyes widened. "What the-"

Almost instantly, the familiar sound of twin Ion Engines from the west caught his ears quickly followed by a series of shots and several loud detonations echoing through the buildings.

A formation of dots on the holo looped around above the city.

"Sir! They have fighters!"

Starkiller grit his teeth. As if that wasn't obvious. "All fighters scatter!" He shouted through the com.

An explosion rocked the city. Starkiller held onto the flickering holo table for balance.

"Dammit." He hissed. "They're here! On your feet now!" The Sith faced the nearest entry point and whipped out his lightsaber while the stormtroopers fell back to cover.

The Force flooded the area and Starkiller's senses came alive.

Reacting before it even happened, a lance of red energy speared at him from one of the buildings around him. Holding up a hand, the sniper bolt bounced off his palm and slapped into the ground beside him. Fire erupted from around the street corners of nearly every building. He slowly fell back, deflecting stray shots and analyzing the enemy.

He sensed his trooper's confusion.

The enemy wasn't the Sacred Way. Not _all_ of them. They were interspersed with men in white armor akin to that of Galactic Stormtrooper Marines.

 _So they're not just puppets. They're working together..._

Blaster bolts flew passed him from all around. Sniper shots from the buildings picked off his men steadily, those who targeted him found it nearly impossible to land a shot. The Sith Lord weaved through the powerful bolts, taking care not to outright deflect them. There was a chance that sniper shots could surge his lightsaber and burn out the emitter.

Starkiller backed into cover next to the commander. "We can't move with those snipers picking us off!" The trooper yelled over the fire.

Starkiller frowned, peeking out to pinpoint the location of the snipers. They weren't too high up, having climbed via grappling cables. Three-five stories into the buildings. "Commander, hold your ground. I'll deal with them. Give me cover!"

"Sir!"

Starkiller spun out and dashed through the street, masterfully cutting down any enemies in his way and reflecting shots as precisely as the snipers above.

He dropped down, skidding to his knees in the middle of the street, ducking under a sniper bolt. Popping back up, his saber ran clean through an enemy's mid, falling in two pieces while Starkiller spun and deflected a lethal shot that bounced and seared into the chest of a different soldier about to fire. The trooper fell and his gun went off, shooting harmlessly in the air. The Sith Lord speared his lightsaber into the one who'd fired.

Sprinting toward the building, he noted that the commander was providing sufficient cover for the nearest sniper, so he gathered the Force around him and leapt high in the air, his lightsaber flying after him.

The hilt slapped into his gloved palm and he sliced it forward, shattering the window in front and tumbling into the fourth floor where the sniper was pressed against the wall for cover.

Starkiller rolled to his feet, quickly defending against the handful of men inside. His target; the sniper was ripped through the air and sent careening out of the window he had once been firing from. His weapon clattered to the floor, still in the building.

The other men dropped like flies from the very shots they fired.

Swiping up the fallen sniper's rifle, Starkiller dashed through the floor, bringing the weapon up to target a sharpshooter in the adjacent building. The gun bucked against his shoulder and he was back in motion before visually confirming that he'd hit. He already knew he did.

The Force suddenly blared in warning.

He reacted instantly. Slinging the weapon in front of him with a Force powered throw, it shattered through the window, weakened by the hole it had previously made, and Starkiller jumped.

A downed TIE fighter collided into the building in a violent eruption, the concussive wave hitting his back.

Starkiller brought his crossed his arms and brought his knees up, surrounding himself with the Force before slamming through the glass of the adjacent building's windows.

He rolled roughly across the floor, smacking against a wall of an office.

Taking a moment to shake his head of the dizziness, he stood.

His presence stretched out, searching for the remaining sharpshooters.

Above.

A wave of power shot out from his hand as he thrust it toward the ceiling and he jumped through the hole.

The sniper above's weapon flew out of his hand down to the ground below, and his neck was seized with the Dark Side's power. Starkiller's hand tightened to a fist and a sickening crunch echoed. The sniper fell, dead before he hit the floor.

Two more. One two floors up in the same building.

The thermal detonator on the shooter's belt flew into Starkiller's hand and he leapt out of the window, spinning in midair and launching the device which smacked against the shooter's helmet. His head snapped back before a fiery explosion claimed him.

Starkiller landed and rolled to his feet as glass and debris from the explosion rained down around him.

His crimson saber snapped to life, right in a center of a dozen enemies.

From above, a short line of TIE fighters strafed between the buildings. Flashes of bright green followed by short yells and explosions followed.

Starkiller smirked. The entry point had been destroyed just like Thrawn planned.

The remaining soldiers slowly backed away. And Starkiller drank in their fear.

— **\- - —**

"Threepio, hurry it up!" Leia stuffed another set of clothing in a small bag haphazardly and pulled the zipper closed roughly.

"But you haven't told me where we're going yet, Princess." 3PO retorted.

Leia slung the bag over her shoulder and yanked a cloak from her bed. "We're leaving Alderaan. Master Kenobi's turned on his distress signal, so we're going to pick him up and meet up with the Alliance." She said while rummaging through her bedside drawer.

"I must say, Princess, this doesn't seem like the safest course of action." 3PO argued. "The probability of successfully running an Imperial blockade is-"

"Shut it." She threatened, pointing the hilt of her lightsaber at him.

Leia stuffed the saber into her belt, quickly reaching up with a tie and pulling her hair up.

The golden protocol droid stiffened in front of her, looking over her shoulder.

Leia paused and turned.

Luke stood at her doorway with a dark look in his eye and a scowl on his face. "You are _full_ of surprises, Leia."

The Princess exhaled, steadying herself. "Luke... I'm leaving."

"Is that so?"

"Don't try and stop me." She warned. "The last thing I want to do is hurt you."

Luke sneered. With a nod of his chin, four of his Death Troopers moved by him into the room with their weapons trained on Leia. Her eyes glossed over each one and the Force moved through the room.

The hilt of her saber flew into her hand. The Death Troopers readied their blasters, just waiting for the order. The blade snapped to life in a flood of bright blue.

"Oh, goodness me..." The droid instantly put his hands up.

Luke's eyes were drawn to the weapon in Leia's hand. It called out to him, whispering it's sorrow.

The blade of Anakin Skywalker rested in her hands.

His eye twitched. "It's true..."

Leia's composure cracked just a bit with sadness in her eyes. "Yes." She answered flatly. "Just know that I never wanted you to find out this way."

Luke grunted in rage under his breath. "Take her." He hissed.

The troopers moved in.

" _Alive._ "

Leia took a step back, bringing her weapon up to grip with both hands. "You can't win here, Luke." She spoke.

"You'll find I'm full of surprises as well." He snapped back.

He reached for his saber.

Instantly, a concussive wave sent him searing backward. His back hit the wall, buckling it and he found himself tumbling across the floor of the room across the hall.

Blasterfire erupted followed by the unmistakeable sound of a lightsaber reflecting fire and searing through plasteel.

Luke shook his head and quickly stood with a feral growl.

Leia dashed by the hole and he swiftly ran after her.

She nimbly turned the corner, running right at the railing at the floor's stairs. Without slowing pace, she grabbed the rail with one hand and hopped right over, landing harmlessly on the ground floor.

She glanced up to see Luke scowling over the rail.

"Capture the Princess!" Luke snapped through his comlink. "She's a Jedi!" He jumped over the railing as well and sprinted after her with his thoughts conflicted, serving only to spur his rage even more. " _Do not hurt her_!" He amended as he ran.

He chased after her in a full sprint, never taking his eyes off of her. He wanted to yell in pure frustration when she sliced the panel of a blast door, causing it to slam shut harshly before she skid underneath it on her knees.

So he yelled, pushing his hand out with an eruption of Dark Side energy that ripped the door off off the wall and crashed somewhere to Luke's side as he sprinted through the hole. "She's headed for the northwest hangar bay!" He shouted through the comm.

A blaster bold rang out.

Luke cringed when Leia spun and deflected it, sending it flying right at him before taking off once more.

He dove to the side and glared at the unfortunate officer that took the shot. The pistol flew into Luke's hand and he took aim at the fleeing Jedi. Two quick shots seared through the air after her. Mirroring her previous feat, she spun and sent one shot back at him while the other passed harmlessly by her.

Luke's borrowed saber hissed to life and sliced bright green through the air with a low hum, batting the offending shot to the ground in a hail of sparks.

Pistol in one hand and saber in the other, he continued his chase.

Leia bolted from hallway to hallway, making sharp turns without slowing pace. The fact that Luke kept up, maybe was even gaining ground on her forced her to push her legs to their limits.

Rounding a corner, two stormtroopers suddenly rose their weapons. With a flick of her wrists, the blasters flew out of their hands and clattered to the floor. They rushed her.

Shutting her saber off, Leia lowered her shoulder and threw the first one behind her, spinning an catching a punch thrown by the second before shoving her hilt into the trooper's elbow and snapping his arm. She tossed the man aside and kept running.

From behind her, another shot from Luke sounded out. She ducked behind a corner to evade and continued her sprint.

"Leia!" Luke shouted through the hallways.

Coming to her destination, Leia held her hand out and flicked the switch for the large doors to the hanger. They began shutting.

She leapt over the lower half.

And then she came to a skidding halt.

Luke growled angrily as the doors closed in front of him. He tossed the pistol aside and sheathed his saber. Throwing out both hands, the Force caught the doors. They whined against the resistance, slowing to a crawl.

Luke dove through the opening and landed in a roll into the hanger. Finding his feet, his lightsaber came back to life as he faced the Jedi.

Who's attention... wasn't on him.

She glanced with a worried look and then returned her gaze away from him.

The Prince stood up straight and followed her gaze.

He turned fully.

"What is this?"

A man shrouded in wispy robes and an ominous, metal mask stood between Leia, Luke and the shuttle she was planning on using to escape. Beside him stood two white-armored stormtroopers. Only, they bore an armor similar to the design of Galactic Marines in the Clone Wars.

Luke's eyes shifted to the weapon in his hand.

Skywalker eyed the man warily, slowly making his way to stand beside Leia. Both of them silently understood the danger.

"I can't sense him..." Leia lowly said.

Luke frowned in realization. "He's the assassin." Taking a step to the side, he stalked in a wide arc, noting that the shadow's hidden eyes followed him. "The one that killed the Viceroy."

Luke felt the wave of conflicting emotion through her. Though it wasn't his intention, he did approve of the anger. It fed nicely into his own.

This assassin's lightsaber activated, spraying a shimmering crimson across the reflective floors. The troopers fell behind him at his simplest gesture.

Luke glanced at Leia, excitement dancing on his features. "Armistice?"

Her lightsaber shot out. "Deal."

"Let's make this quick." Luke gripped his hilt in both hands tight, his blade pointing down at the ground to the side, humming dangerously.

Chilling rage settled in the hangar.

Leia dashed in first.

Red clashed against blue as the blades bounced off each other.

Luke wasn't far behind. With a howl, he came down hard on his opponent. The shadow caught the attack and redirected it off to the side, stepping back and parrying a swift strike from Leia.

Both siblings brought their weapons bearing upon the assassin, blue and green slicing and stabbing with precision.

Three blades locked in a violent clash.

— **\- - —**


	8. Chapter 8: Control

— **\- - —**

 **Chapter 8:**

— **\- - —**

Leia's lightsaber sliced through the air, cracking against the dark shadow's. Her saber bounced back and Luke's was swinging only a split second later. Had there been a moment to think, Leia would've been surprised at how synchronized she and Luke were, but the battle moved so quickly. This enemy was as fast, nimble and versatile. The twins had a hard time pinning him down to land any sort of meaningful blow.

Luke feinted forward, and as he expected, Leia acted instantly on it and came in to occupy the masked assailant's defenses.

The fiend's blood red blade swiped down and collided heavily into Leia's, throwing her ever so slightly off. He then smacked his metal mask against Leia's forehead.

Luke lunged in as she stumbled back only for a moment.

Luke's blade was smacked away with a ferocious strike that stumbled him backward.

He snapped back quickly.

The Prince sliced and swiped at his foe with all the ferocity of Form V, the Dark Side pumping through his veins.

Leia rejoined, matching the fierce onslaught her brother was delivering on their shared enemy.

The shadow was strained in keeping up with both on the defensive.

They danced in the hangar bay, pushing this new enemy further and further back. All three lightsabers slashing with wild hums and ferocious cracks with sparks and smoke, flashing bright red, brilliant blue and gleaming green across the floor.

Luke was relentless, his speed and stamina becoming more amped as the fight went on, the pain from his previous injuries fueling his anger and rage. His attacks became heavier and quicker. His vision began to tunnel in, and his senses began to block everything but his own rage out.

Leia felt it. Luke was slowly taking control of this fight himself. He was faster and stronger. She found herself jealous of his mastery of controlling his darkness.

In a moment of brief shock, she felt Luke prod back into her mind through their bond. _Focus!_

But it became hard for Leia. Luke's harsh emotions were something she trained to fight against as a Jedi.

She was making mistakes she normally wouldn't, failing to capitalize on openings Luke had made for her or simply not reacting fast enough with the fight.

 _Use you anger!_

Her calm was slipping, turning into fear because she couldn't concentrate.

The darkness that surrounded her from both combatants was too great.

She heard a grunt from Luke.

She sensed it at the very last minute, the masked shadow's lightsaber had knocked Luke's back and now he was lunging in to take her out of the fight.

She panicked, slicing wildly at the crimson blade, knowing she couldn't deflect it in time.

She felt Luke panic. His fear was palpable.

His fear for her.

A wild wave of energy slammed into her from Luke's hand and she flew roughly down the hallway, but the enemy's stab missed her completely.

The masked fiend turned his full attention to Luke and instantly lashed out with a ferocious whirlwind of attacks. Luke was on the defensive, struggling to regain the traction he'd lost by having to save Leia.

Their blades clashed rapidly as Luke slowly backed away, holding off the dark warrior with every defensive tactic he knew.

Sparks glimmered into the air as Luke ducked beneath an attack, maneuvered to the side and swiped his blade through the floor and up at the enemy's side. A satisfying yell sounded from behind the mask.

And then a fiery rage flooded the hangar bay. It made Leia flinch.

For a moment, Luke didn't seem to care or even show signs of reaction like Leia did. Then they _both_ felt the painful flare through the Force. The same one that blinded them when Bail Organa's ship was destroyed.

Luke howled in pain, lightsaber bouncing in a low ting as it hit the floor. He soon followed, backing away and stumbling to his rear.

The shadow spun his blade, destroying Luke's saber before raising his lightsaber and brought it down in a viscous slice aimed to end Luke's life, but the Prince's own power exploded. A strained shout ripped through the air and he shoved his hands out. The masked assailant was sent shooting backward, his lightsaber flying out of his hand.

Leia hopped up, calling the man's saber to her before tossing it to Luke. He jumped to his feet, the crimson blade gasping to life and rushed the man.

The enemy reached his hand out toward Luke and another bright explosion through the Force stopped him mid run. He tumbled to the floor, rolling to a stop and curling up with his hands clawing at his head.

Leia jumped over her brother and swung. Her attack blocked as the shadow's weapon flew back to him. He shifted his weight and spun as Leia did as well to face him. He jumped back from a swipe aimed to bisect him.

For a moment, they stared each other down, slowly stalking in a circle.

The Force came alive with dark intent.

Leia ducked on it's instruction, avoiding a loose, metal object flying at her. She sliced through another and side-stepped a larger object. Her impatience flared. She stuck out a hand and seized control of the several objects flying toward her. They dropped harmlessly to the ground with several loud cracks.

She angled her blade toward him. Sensing his concentration on keeping Luke down, she knew she'd be facing this menacing villain alone. At least for the moment.

The Dark Side tightened around him.

He lept.

With a an over head strike, he came down. Leia's defense was rattled. She stumbled a step or two back as he regained his footing. Neither wasted any time, he sprung up with swipe of his blade, she batted it away.

A vicious onslaught began. His blade came at her from every direction and he pressed his advantage. She remained defensive, keeping pace with him and stepping back.

He relied on his speed to keep her on the defensive, swinging almost wildly. But not randomly. As untamed as he looked, his strikes were precise and not without meaning.

She angled her blade as he came down with a charged overhead strike. Redirecting his weight, she stepped aside and he stumbled forward.

She slashed immediately at his exposed back, searing through his black garments and metallic armor, burning right into his skin. He howled in pain.

Impressively, he'd managed to mitigate a would be crippling blow into a flesh wound.

He stood up straight and turned to her. She didn't have to see his face to know that she'd only succeeded in igniting his rage. His hatred coiled off of him like smoke.

He gripped his hilt with both hands and rushed her.

She deflected several quick strikes, but immediately noted that he'd switched tactics.

He was the perfect definition of poised brutality.

He came in with a stab to her gut.

She swat his saber away.

He used the momentum and swiped at her other side. She blocked easily.

His strength surged and he pushed her blade off of his and then quickly swiped it away from her tight defense.

Pain erupted in her shoulder as he drug his blade across it. Instinctively, she yelped and grabbed the injury with a free hand, and he took a step backward and turned away from her with angry satisfaction, arrogance pulsing off of him.

Leia's ego flared angrily. He was toying with her, arrogant enough to turn his back on her. He was like a child!

He twirled his blade in anticipation and she sprung forward.

He was facing her in a mere instant. She came down on him. _Hard._

An onslaught that would make even Obi Wan wary.

She pressed forward, pushing his defenses to their limits. She sensed his focus. She sensed he knew he made a mistake by not capitalizing on her momentary defenselessness.

A hurricane of speed and power, she continued to batter his defense mercilessly.

It was her turn to showcase her offensive abilities. She would certainly not be outdone by this man.

The Force clashed between them as she continued her assault.

The pain slowly eased from Luke's mind and he sluggishly began to pick himself back up. Sensing the anger his sister was channeling brought a small grin to his face. Only because he felt how powerful she was. A strange sense of pride flashed through him.

Luke stood up and the shadow pulsed with fearful anger. "Kill him!"

The two troops who'd stayed out of the fight suddenly rose their weapons.

"Luke!" Leia shouted in a brief lock of blades.

The Prince's attention snapped to the troopers. He swiftly dodged the first shot and the second one was suddenly suspended in midair between Luke and the troop. The soldier's blaster was ripped from his hands.

Luke dove to the side, releasing the frozen blaster bolt and dodging another before taking aim and firing two, precise shots in impossibly quick succession.

The trooper's knees buckled and they hit the floor with smoke curling from their chest and head respectively.

Luke then moved the blaster's barrel toward the lightsaber fight. As if sensing his motive at the perfect time, Leia struck and then instantly ducked as the bright, red spear of energy flew over her head.

The masked man was forced to block awkwardly and jump back, angling his weapon to redirect fire away.

Luke pressed forward, rifle at his shoulder while Leia stood back up and dashed at the enemy in a wide arc. She lept at the man, her weapon cocked back to her side.

Fear pulsed from the shadow assassin. He blocked one blaster bolt, breaking Luke's fire as he was forced to dodge.

But Leia's blade sliced down as she pressed the advantage for everything it was worth. She batted his saber back and forth, weakening his defense with each brutal swipe. Feeling her once confident enemy suddenly drained with each attack made her own confidence bump up as if she stole it from him.

That dwindling confidence turned quickly into fear. The evil this dark assassin once boasted so carelessly was nothing but a show in her mind.

A dark satisfaction flooded her at her perceived knowledge that she was about to end this fight.

That she was about to avenge her parents!

She couldn't see passed it to sense the panicked fear radiating from her enemy.

Luke did. "Leia! wait!" He held out his hand, only serving to add to the futility of his warning.

An icy cold flooded her body at hearing the genuine fear in Luke's voice.

The man thrust his hand out toward Leia and a wild yell tore through his chest.

A nearly blinding pulse of power made even Luke stumble, and he could only watch as she was sent rocketing backward through the air. His chest seized when Leia came to a sudden stop, the middle of her back slamming right into the wing of the shuttle she had prepared.

She hit the floor.

Her lightsaber rolled to a stop out of her hand.

For a moment, it seemed like time stopped.

His mind flashed with fearful uncertainty as Luke was almost stunned into silence. As if something would happen if he moved, something that would make his fears become real.

The snap-hiss of the fiend's lightsaber broke Luke's stun away. The assassin stood straight and glared at Luke.

A fiery resolve settled on Luke.

Leia's lightsaber slapped into his hand.

It felt so comfortable in his grip. He could feel it's power spread through him.

The calm of Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker.

And the deathly still, patient darkness that was the young Darth Vader's demons ready to pounce.

— **\- - —**

"Grand Admiral!"

Thrawn half turned his head to acknowledge the officer behind him.

"Squad 8's commander just reported in. There's no sign of any weapon, sir."

Considering this for a moment, the news didn't sit well with the Chiss Admiral.

"He's ordered his troops to fall back to the Palace."

Thrawn internally nodded. "Proceed."

Thrawn was nothing if not careful. He never liked walking blindly into a situation. His care and attention to detail was what made him such a brilliant military leader. He won battles soundly and with very minimal resources lost. In fact, he nearly _always_ won. And he may not have been suspicious about this victory had the enemies been the Sacred Way Rebels acting alone. The fact that the Shadow Council was involved made this victory feel tainted. For seven years they'd maintained secrecy, building armies and managing to hijack sensitive information from right under the Empire's nose only to lose their first battle? No... to be _crushed_? Even if the Shadow Council's troopers were thinly spread amongst the Sacred Way, they had purpose. They wouldn't reveal themselves in such an embarrassing way.

This was a trap.

"We have Fleet Admiral Rax exiting hyperspace." Another officer informed.

To the left in the Grand Admiral's view, a Star Destroyer came into real space. A small frown crept onto Thrawn's lips. Rax made it to Alderaan quickly...

Gallius Rax's image fazed into view. _"Grand Admiral."_

"Fleet Admiral Rax." Thrawn greeted. "I must say, you have perfect timing." His tone dipped hauntingly. "The Sacred Way Rebels have made a bold attack on Aldera City."

 _"This is... most concerning."_ Rax had a very convincing look of concern. So convincing that even the Grand Admiral himself had to give the man silent praise for his performance.

What a perfect way to test this. "Indeed it is, Fleet Admiral. It seems our forces are in need of more feet on the ground. I was about to send in reinforcements, but what better way to announce your arrival to the Prince by providing him aid personally?"

The only indication of Rax's surprise was a very slight parting of his lips.

Thrawn could, from the corner of his view, see the confusion on the officers' faces around him. None dare question him.

 _"Very well, Grand Admiral. I'll begin landing troops immediately and follow shortly."_

"No, that will not do." Thrawn coyly replied. "Bring the Destroyer into the atmosphere."

Gallius's mask fell and he openly showed a bit of shock. _"The... whole ship?"_ He questioned. _"Is that necessary?"_

"I believe it is, Fleet Admiral." Thrawn replied. "Do you know what a Star Destroyer is?"

Rax stayed quiet, unsure of how to even answer.

"It is not merely a ship with weapons and soldiers. A Star Destroyer is also a symbol. An idea, if you will." Thrawn coyly explained. "It is symbolic to what we are, Admiral, and to what we represent. To some, it may be a comforting sight. The knowledge that our citizens are protected by such a mighty machine. To others... to those who oppose the Empire, a Star Destroyer becomes something much more primal. _Fear_."

The Fleet Admiral's eyes flashed with discomfort.

"Our enemies on the surface do not fear us, Fleet Admiral. The Sacred Way seems to have forgotten the Empire's might, so you will remind them."

Conflict showed on Rax's face for a long, terse moment. A battle of wits of sorts. Thrawn may not know what was planned, but Rax did. He also knew that he'd be arrested for disobeying orders on the spot if he didn't comply. _"Yes, Grand Admiral. I shall put the fear back into their hearts."_ The man's voice dipped to a deadly tone. A challenging tone.

It made Thrawn smirk.

The transmission ended just seconds later.

"Lieutenant."

"Yes, Grand Admiral?"

"Jam all transmissions from Admiral Rax's ship." Thrawn clasped his hands behind his back. "Have the fleet target that Destroyer and prepare to fire on my command."

Stunned silence followed. Only briefly.

With a mere glance, the Lieutenant set to work and issued the order with an unsure, shaky voice.

Thrawn's gaze returned to Rax's ship slowly descending into Alderaan's atmosphere. "It's time to test your resolve, Fleet Admiral Gallius Rax."

 **— - - —**

 _"If you are to succeed in this quest of balance you seek, you must learn to harness your fear; control it, manipulate it to your will. The Dark Side comes easily, it lingers around all of us like a lurking predator stalking it's prey."_

 _Dim streaks of the glowing, red cores of jagged, obsidian crystals trapping the residual energy they absorbed from the planet Ren's two suns cast a near ominous reflection across the shined, uneven floors inside the cavernous center of the massive, obsidian crystal mountains. Young Luke Skywalker was knelt, his chest and shoulders littered with scrapes, skin irritated from the unyielding heat of the suns outside, his feet blistered and cut, and his left arm caked with dried blood from a gruesome bite on his bicep that still leaked, dripping into the soiled cloth wrapped tightly around the stump where his hand once was. The pain had nearly been too much to bear. Now it served as tinder for his anger._

 _He felt the darkness his teacher spoke of swirling within and all around him like a poisonous smoke._

 _"The Dark Side's very nature is control." A shrouded man slowly circled him, hidden in the shadows. "And it has all but consumed you." His baritone voice vibrated Luke's chest as it lowered into a haunting, dark tone. "It felt good, didn't it?"_

 _Luke's chest rose and fell quicker._

 _"To kill the creature that took your hand... to make it suffer."_

 _"Yes." Luke's voice, previously weathered and raw now cut through the air with sharp hatred._

 _"The Dark Side calls to you. I can feel it. What does it tell you?"_

 _It whispered in Luke's mind. It showed him taking up the lightsaber that sat in front of him, using it to exact revenge on the man who subjected him to this torture for days. It gave him hints of the satisfaction he would feel._

 _Luke's nose flared. "To kill you for what you've put me through."_

 _"And... you agree with this?"_

 _"Yes." Luke quickly answered._

 _The enigma stayed silent for a long, tense moment. From the shadows, he regarded his student. "And what does the Light Side tell you?"_

 _"Nothing."_

 _"There lies your failure."_

— **\- - —**

The drivers in Luke's hand whirred, tightening around the lightsaber that was once his father's. Once again, the Dark Side crept silently around him. It surrounded the creature before him; the untamed animal like the one that took his hand on Ren. Unlike his failure there, he would not allow this creature to take something else from him. Should he give into the call of darkness, should he lose control and attack blindly, he would lose. His sister would die.

The warning spoken so clearly from the Light Side sparked a new kind of fear in him. Luke Skywalker turned that fear into a fiery resolve to never see that happen.

Centering himself, Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber resonated with Luke's power through the Force. Light and Dark coming together.

He shot forward across the hangar.

The animal parried Luke's strike at that moment, and he spun his father's blue blade around, coming down _hard_ on the creature, who's blade was ready to block in a mere instant. The sheer power of Luke's attack startled his enemy.

Skywalker's attacks came swiftly, precisely, and purposefully. The assassin was already straining to defend properly, slipping into a tight defense and barely able to mitigate painful burns from the Prince's blue blade.

Luke became more focused in his offense, lashing out with two powerful strikes in succession with perfect execution, his lightsaber held tightly between his hands as he struck down on his nemesis, embedding the Force into each swing of his blade.

The man was struggling to keep up. Luke's attacks battered at his defense, rattling his grip. His anger welled once more.

Luke marveled at the man's raw power, though he couldn't sense it because of the device blocking him out, he could feel it dancing across his skin, tingling with a deadly heat.

The masked assailant met Luke's next strike with equal strength. Ending the brief lock of blades, he shoved the Prince backward and followed quickly with a violent shove of Force energy. Luke stumbled and rolled backward, finding the enemy leaping through the air.

Landing above Luke, he speared his lightsaber down. With his gloved, real hand shrouded with the Force, the blade's tip pushed into it, it's energy blocked. The plasma peeled off as if it was slowly shattering and splintering. The energy burned away the leather, falling to Luke's chest in charred smoke.

It suddenly deactivated.

Luke shoved the masked man back, hopping to his feet to chase the enemy who tumbled, using the momentum to jump up.

Luke flipped over the man, slicing his saber. It's tip dug into the back of his neck as he _barely_ moved forward to avoid being decapitated.

He howled in pain and his presence flooded Luke's senses.

The man reached back, feeling the shallow burn for a moment before yanking the useless device off and throwing it to the floor.

Luke didn't even flinch at feeling the shadow's power. He wouldn't allow himself to be stunned. Instead, he focused on the assassin's anger. He was becoming unhinged fairly quickly.

Luke spun his blade to his side as the black mass dashed toward him, jumping and bearing down from the air once more. Luke thrust his hand, sending a wave of power toward him. The blackness brought it's knees up and crossed his forearms, powering through Luke's push.

Luke dove to the side as it neared him, rolling and popping up quickly as it landed, and sliced it's blade right at Luke with one hand. Luke brought his lightsaber up to block, surprised to feel the power behind the strike.

It moved toward Luke in a flash of quick maneuvers, it's lightsaber deactivating. So fast that Luke was left stunned.

It grabbed his wrist, jerking it back. Luke's saber fell to the floor, and it continued. Luke yelled in agony as he felt the bones in his forearm splinter.

 _"Do not ever for a moment forsake the Dark Side. It's power is unrivaled. If you learn when and how to allow it to aid you in battle, you will gain control over it."_

Luke's rage erupted in a primal growl. His own prosthetic latched onto the shadow's arm, and began crushing.

The assassin yelled in agony as the arm crumpled beneath his pressure. He released the shadow's arm, and it stumbled back, glancing down at it's mangled appendage. Luke ground his teeth together, grabbed his broken arm, squeezing and using the pain. The shooting pain elicited a sharp yell, but it was more of a furious sound. He'd use the pain to his advantage.

Luke reached out with both arms, and grabbed this thing through the Force. He stalked toward it as he jerked it down to it's knee. He pulled it down once more to both knees. Luke's resolve hardened as it no longer showed resistance. His lightsaber came to his hands.

The blade shot out toward this creature, casting blue ominously off of it's mask. He rose his blade.

A feeling of dread overcame him. He couldn't believe the power he felt.

Luke braced himself, managing to conjure a defense. A pulse of power shattered the lights high above and Luke tumbled backward.

He quickly found his footing, shielding himself from the falling glass.

Luke's eyes widened as it shot forward, pulling a blade from a well concealed sheath on it's chest, rapidly, it pierced him right in the shoulder, and again through his forearm, causing his saber to fall to the ground.

Luke grabbed the blade as it came back for a third strike, and shattered it with his prosthetic.

He'd had enough of this!

It quickly maneuvered under Luke's hand after he'd shattered the blade, managing to get Luke's back before he could react.

It's arm wrapped around Luke's neck, and yanked. Luke jerked up, his breathing suddenly cut completely off.

Luke reached up with his prosthetic and grabbed hold of the arm. He shot his elbow into his stomach, and the shadow's grip loosened. Luke pivoted and threw the man over his shoulder.

The enemy coughed as he hit the floor. He floated upward, this time _his_ breathing cut off.

Luke held his hand out. The hateful sneer on his face matched the light, red ring in his eyes.

The assassin clawed at his neck, legs twitching. Luke squeezed. He felt the man's life draining, and his body went limp.

For a moment, Luke felt the coming satisfaction of this assassin's death.

So he stopped, dropping the man's limp, unconscious form to the floor.

He stared at the man, breathing fast and jagged, a hateful distortion in his face.

Luke closed his eyes and took a deep breath, searching the Force for the balance he trained to achieve. The Dark Side left him along with it's power, and he dropped to his knee as exhaustion settled on him.

But a sense of foreboding fell on him as the sound rumbling sound of ion engines shook the hangar. A large, black frigate rose into view and hovered into the hangar, turning and landing. Through the Force, Luke felt several, dark presences akin to that of moderately powerful Force sensitives.

Luke jumped up as the ramp lowered, calling his father's blade to him and dashing toward Leia.

A loud boom sounded.

Luke dove, covering Leia as a massive, red beam slammed into the shuttle. Luke covered his eyes as the concussion of the blast hit him. The ship's integrity buckled, it's large wing breaking apart and coming down to crush him and Leia.

— **\- - —**

Gallius Rax nervously tapped his finger on his bicep as his Star Destroyer hovered over Aldera City. Phase 2 wasn't going as planned. Then again, nothing ever did when Grand Admiral Thrawn was the enemy. Rax had anticipated Vader to already be on Alderaan or at least on his way by now. One would think the danger Luke Skywalker was in would be enough to prompt Vader's personal interference. But he sent Starkiller instead. Was Vader perhaps being cautious?

Nonetheless, Gallius Rax wasn't the type of person to just give in when things didn't go as planned. He didn't earn the respect of Emperor Palpatine by rolling over when things got too sticky.

He had to be extra cautious. The Grand Admiral was his adversary, and Rax had the sinking suspicion that Thrawn was privy on some information regarding his involvement with the Shadow Council.

"Admiral, it looks as if the Prince's fleet has targeted us... our transmissions have been jammed." An officer reported.

Rax sighed deeply. "Thrawn knows." He simply replied. "Begin deploying our fighters. Swarm the Palace. _Destroy_ it."

"Yes, Admiral."

"Warlord Tiess's fleet should be arriving at any moment now." Gallius Rax grinned to himself. "Even if the Emperor is not here... the deaths of Starkiller, Luke Skywalker and _Grand_ Admiral Thrawn will suffice."

— **\- - —**

— - - — - - — - - — - - —

 _Hi guys, just wanted to drop a quick note thanking you all for following, favoriting and especially taking time out and reviewing my story. I appreciate feedback a lot._

 _You guys are awesome! Hope you're enjoying everything so far. See you guys in a little while with chapter 9!_


	9. Chapter 9: Sacrifices

— _**\- - —**_

 **Chapter 9**

— _**\- - —**_

The Dark Side swelled in Luke, it ordered him to move and save himself from being crushed to death by a flaming shuttle wing. To forget about Leia and save himself. He was more important than she was! Helpless and weak, near death! Her death would be her own fault!

Rather than anger him, it scared him... terrified him, even.

 _Back inside the black, crystal cave, Luke instinctively knelt and took a deep breath. He searched for the Light Side finding his connection with it weak and unstable. It only added to his frustration._

 _The glowing streaks of the obsidian crystals has dimmed from an angry red to a soothing orange as night fell on Ren._

" _Your feelings betray you, young Skywalker..." Luke's teacher spoke from the dark shadows. "Dwell on your misgivings and the Light will never be in your reach."_

 _Luke felt a sense of fear in his chest. He would fail in his quest for balance... "What do I do?"_

" _Release those feelings to the Force." The man hauntingly instructed. "Now, you listen to it. The Light Side does not control or command. It is not a weapon."_

 _Luke considered this for a moment. Not a weapon... yet the Jedi used it in combat._

" _The Light is a guide. You must allow it to fill you and show you your path. Clear your mind and listen to it's instruction."_

He forcefully shoved it's influence back and the Dark was chased away by the Light. No longer clouded by his own emotions, Luke sensed his objective as spoken to him.

The fiery wing of the shuttle creaked as it bent and buckled, falling down closer and closer to him and Leia. But he didn't panic. He trusted the Force and picked Leia up, throwing her over his shoulder.

Then the wing suddenly stopped, suspended in midair.

"Luke!"

Luke quickly dashed out from beneath it and the shuttle wing crashed against the floor, rattling the room and illuminating it's darkened state with dancing flames.

Luke fell back behind Starkiller as the Sith pulled his saber out and quickly covered Luke. Four Death Troopers stepped forward beside Starkiller, their blasters jolting In recoil witch each blast they fired. "Don't let him escape!" Luke shouted, pointing at the unconscious assassin.

Luke carefully lay Leia down, kneeling and quickly checking her vitals and scanning her with his power. Her spine was broken in several places, severed in one. Her pulse was weak and her unconscious mind was scattered.

Luke felt his anger rise.

Standing, he pulled out her lightsaber and turned to the enemies, but he paused for a moment at what he saw. At least ten soldiers slowly advancing, firing shots off quickly, precise as his own Death Troopers and even clad in a dark, charcoal armor akin to theirs. But the most unnerving thing was the fact that the Dark Side was with them.

"They're trained in the Force!" Starkiller shouted over the blasterfire as he deflected shots away.

Luke growled to himself, joining his comrade in defending. The Dark Side was indeed with these soldiers.

Red lasers flew between Luke and Starkiller as they reflected shots and weaved and ducked between those they couldn't. The Death Troopers flanking them aimed to pick off anything they could as the enemy soldiers advanced confidently, stunning both Luke and Starkiller with how seemingly easily they reacted to laserfire, actually dodging as a Jedi or Sith would in the same situation. Those shots that hit were merely absorbed into their thick armor, failing to slow them.

Luke and company were outgunned. The enemy soldiers advanced quickly and once they made their way to Luke's downed enemy, they surrounded him and switched quickly to automatic fire.

"Fall back!" Luke shouted. Forced to focus totally on covering the Death Troopers' retreat, his and Starkiller's blades swung back and forth as fast as their arms could maneuver. One of the troops grabbed Leia, pulling her over his shoulder and the others slowed to cover him as if they knew how important she was to Luke.

Both parties covered their retreats.

Luke and Starkiller followed their troops through the blast doors and took cover in the hallways, peeking out to to watch as the enemy backed swiftly into their ship, carrying the man who injured Leia.

"Dammit!" Luke hissed as his saber powered down. Snatching a comm device off of his waist, he brought it up. "Get me a medical team down here _now_!"

Death Troopers fired at the ship as it lifted and blasted out of the hangar.

"What the hell happened in there?" Starkiller turned to Luke

Luke frowned, still gazing toward the hangar's exit. "The assassin..." He answered lowly.

Starkiller followed his comrade's stare.

Luke turned to the trooper holding his sister.

"She's dying." Starkiller commented. "Why save her? She's a Jedi."

Luke closed his eyes briefly, feeling the sting of bitterness at that reality. His sister... a Jedi. "I need to get to Mustafar." He said. "Get her to Starkiller's shuttle, have the med team meet you there." He ordered the Death Troopers who quickly fell back to carry out the order.

"Skywalker!" Starkiller snapped expectantly.

"Just... trust me for once." Luke pleaded lightly.

Starkiller searched Luke's face and saw the immense weight and state of turmoil in his eyes. "Luke, what's going on?"

Luke did his best to hold it all in. "I- I need to..." He took a deep, unsteady breath, pacing for a moment before pinching the bridge of his nose. "I need to get her to... my father."

"But why?"

"She..."

Starkiller grabbed the Prince's shoulder and steadied him, giving him a sturdy look. One that said he was willing to trust Luke if he just explained the situation.

Luke sighed. "She's my sister."

A look of pure disbelief formed on the Sith's face. Waiting for a follow up comment, maybe a joke or something that never came, disbelief turned into shock. "You're serious."

Luke nodded. "That man-" he pointed toward the hangar. "He's behind everything! He killed the Viceroy- he's the assassin!" Luke's face tinted a bit red as he angrily yelled his frustrations. "He did this to her!" Taking a step back, he paced, taking harsh, angered breaths.

"Who is he?" Starkiller's voice hardened.

"I don't know!" Luke spun and snapped. "But I will find him! And I will kill him!"

Starkiller nodded his approval. "You'll get your revenge. Right now, focus."

Luke took a deep, calming breath and nodded his head. His anger relented somewhat for the moment. "I need to get her to my father. He has to know."

Starkiller started walking, nodding for Luke to follow and pulling out his comlink. "Captain, send a high priority escort to the Palace. Luke and I have to escort a VIP to Lord Vader _immediately_."

"And send my fighter as well." Luke added.

" _It will be done, my Lords."_

 **— _\- - —_**

Grand Admiral Thrawn stroked his chin slowly, mind racing to figure out the next step to Gallius Rax's plans. They seemed to rely on the element of surprise, which wasn't a terrible thing to rely on - tactically speaking. It put the Grand Admiral in a tight situation.

But what could the Shadow Council accomplish with another attack? Surely they knew contending with Prince Skywalker's fleet would produce massive losses on their side. Unless they could produce a fleet comparable...

"Prepare the fleet for battle." Thrawn suddenly spoke. "Form a defensive perimeter around this ship."

"Sir!" An Officer related the orders.

Thrawn frowned as his thoughts continued to wander. He became more and more sure that an attack was coming. Bold as it may be, he also knew that Gallius Rax was not one to make hasty decisions. He was a brilliant tactician in his own right. "And prepare to execute Tactical Withdrawal Order 12. Scatter the fleet and rendezvous at the Capital."

"Yes... Sir!" The officer stuttered, confused and now nervous. He hastily gave the orders. "Orders relayed, Grand Admiral. Governor Tarkin and Lord Vader have been alerted... all personnel planetside are preparing to withdraw."

Thrawn nodded curtly.

He watched the Star Destroyers slowly move into position, scanning them all over perhaps to find a more efficient pattern, of to approve of the standard one.

But one of them caught his eye. "Lieutenant, begin a transmission with Captain Lorren." Thrawn kept his eye on the Destroyer.

"Sir, I'm unable to get through." The officer reported.

The Admiral then noticed the angle the ship was moving in. The _Atmosphere_... was moving into attack position.

Thrawn growled internally. "Angle the deflector shields!"

The darkness of space suddenly lit up in bright green as the Star Destroyer opened fire.

Thrawn braced himself. The ship shook violently, echoing the sounds of distant explosions one after the other. Panels from the ceiling dropped and crashed around the bridge, officers ducking in cover and stumbling over from the violent rocking back and forth.

The Chiss Admiral stumbled over toward the Lieutenant's work bay, tripping but managing to stay on his feet as the ship took a brutal volley of turbolaser fire. Thrawn slapped the fleet-wide communications button. "Return fire!" He shouted.

Mere seconds later, the entirety of Luke's _Royal Enforcer_ fleet targeted the rogue Destroyer.

Thrawn regained his balance as the attack against his ship slowed. He glanced through the viewport to see the traitorous Destroyer's bridge completely destroyed, trailing a column of smoke as it drifted aimlessly. "On your feet." Thrawn snapped to the crew. "Damage assessment?"

The Lieutenant returned to his station and stared intently at his control panel. "Decks 7, 13 And 6 are lost... Deck 5, sector 6 is compromised. Locking down now."

Thrawn scowled.

"Admiral Rax is hailing us!" A communication's officer shouted out.

Said Admiral's holo fizzled in. _"Grand Admiral. You're alive. Thank the heavens."_ He greeted dryly.

"Admiral Rax, I'm disappointed." Thrawn replied. "Your surprise attack reflects poorly on the Empire you once represented."

Rax merely smirked. _"Let me ask you a question, Grand Admiral Thrawn. Do you know what a Star Dreadnaught is?"_

Thrawn rose an eyebrow. "Do tell."

" _You see, Thrawn, a Star Dreadnaught is not merely a ship with soldiers and weapons."_ Rax taunted.

"Admiral!" Thrawn glanced over. "S-something... is here!"

A sinking feeling descended upon the entire fleet. Right in front of the destroyed Star Destroyer, an utterly massive object emerged. Black as night with glowing, red accents. As tall as the _Executor_ was long, the ship... the Star Dreadnaught stood upright in a "t" shape. It's stern smashed right into the husk of the downed Destroyer, barreling right through it, effectively smashing it into two pieces.

Beside the Dreadnaught, four Star Destroyers; not anything Imperial though retaining the same shapes, blasted into real space.

" _A Star Dreadnaught is a masterpiece of war!"_ Rax proclaimed with a wide smile. _"Admiral! May I introduce to you your demise! The_ Harrow _-class Star Dreadnaught! I call it the_ Ark

Thrawn's eyes moved from the _Ark_ back to Rax. "Impressive." He praised hauntingly. "My apologies for my earlier assessment, Admiral Rax. I see your Shadow Council has been hard at work." He clasped his hands behind his back. "You seem to have put me at quite a disadvantage."

" _Now what will you do about it, I wonder. Surely a strategist of your caliber has a few tricks up his sleeves."_

"I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise." Thrawn darkly answered. He swiftly cut the transmission. "Deploy all fighters." He calmly ordered. "The Prince and Lord Starkiller are being escorted to us. I want every pilot- every single man and woman on this fleet ready to die for their safety." He watched as Rax's Star Dreadnaught suddenly release swarms of fighters eerily reminiscent of TIE's, though bearing two, thinner, sharper looking, vertical panels on each side that seemed to move independently to make for more maneuverability. The four Star Destroyers released the same type of fighters.

And then the _Ark_ itself's two, horizontal wings opened up as panels separated revealing two large cannons that could easily be mistaken as a Destroyer's engine thrusters on each wing. Lighting up a blindingly bright red, two beams suddenly shot from both cannons and pummeled into the ship between Thrawn and it. The beams converged, persisting for several seconds before each of the cannons widened, shooting out massive, red balls of plasma right through the persisting lasers. Thrawn and the crew covered their eyes as the Destroyer protecting them burst into a ball of flames across their view, chunks of it flying in every direction and smashing into Thrawn's ship with thunderous collisions.

The bridge was alive with orders and yells shouted across. Some of panic and others of superiors keeping the men at their stations. Thrawn merely watched the still flaming skeleton of the Destroyer floating in space and the dogfights of fighters spraying Imperial green bolts and Shadow Council red ones back and forth, ships lighting up in fiery destruction right and left.

Never had Grand Admiral Thrawn been so soundly outgunned. This battle was lost the moment Rax's ship came out of hyperspace. Thrawn's mission was now making sure Luke and Starkiller broke through the enemy fleet. "Target the _Sidewinder_." Thrawn's voice silenced the crew. "Obliterate Gallius Rax."

 **— _\- - —_**

Aldera Palace's main hangar bay was bustling with frantic activity as troop transports from the field began landing while others took off back to the fleet above which was now under heavy fire. Reports of the utterly massive Dreadnaught above with some sort of advanced and rather devastating weapons system floated around. Both Luke and Starkiller could sense the fear and apprehension from nearly everybody in the hangar. Given the circumstances, both ignored and bee lined to Starkiller's shuttle which was now flanked by four, landed TIE/IN Interceptors with the Death Troopers standing by each of them.

Luke spotted his personal starfighter right next to the Interceptors.

The TIE/D Defender, modified by him first hand. Equipped with prototype, Lb-10 dual heavy laser turrets mounted on the underside of the circular cockpit, advanced panels to draw in power and route it through the 2 deuterium power cells to the four Ls-9.3 laser cannons mounted at the tips of the upper four panels and two medium ion cannons on the bottom two. Along with heavy armament modifications, the twin ion engines were modified for peak efficiency at maximum performance. Luke's modifications together with the Defender's standard deflector shields and a hyperdrive engine made his fighter one of a kind. Coupled with his nearly unrivaled skills, Luke was one of the most deadly pilots in the Empire. Second only to the Emperor himself.

He felt at home in the cockpit of a ship. Any ship really, but definitely his fighter.

Luke put on his headset as the hatch closed over him. "Testing, 1 2 3."

" _I hear you."_ Starkiller replied from the cockpit of his shuttle.

Luke powered his engines on and synced the group's transmission codes with his and Fleet Command's. "Luke Skywalker here, call sign Black Squadron leader preparing to escort VIP."

" _Copy that, Black Leader."_ A fleet officer replied. _"All squadrons have been alerted, transmitting real time analytics to your ship. You're clear for takeoff... please be advised, Sector 7 has an ACT Order in place by Grand Admiral Thrawn."_

"Why?"

" _Admiral Rax's ship is deploying fighters, the Grand Admiral is preparing to destroy it. We've mapped out a flight trajectory for you to avoid most of the combat."_

Luke sighed. "Copy. Black Leader out." Glancing down at his HUD, said trajectory appeared. Luke primed his weapons, performed a quick diagnostic on his ship and then prepared to exit. "Black Squadron, switch to encrypted channel LCA-3c. We're cleared for launch, form up behind me."

Luke's TIE/D's engines howled as he took off into the snowy weather of Alderaan. Starkiller's shuttle and the Death Trooper's followed in a V surrounding the shuttle.

Skirmishes raged in the distance as the squad rounded the Palace and Luke took a moment to watch the Star Destroyer in the atmosphere suddenly take a hail of green turbolasers fired from orbit. It's engines detonated, space pods shot out from all sides and debris flew off in every direction as the Destroyer tilted and began it's descent.

Luke scowled. "That Star Destroyer is going to pummel right into the Palace..." he muttered to himself. Shaking his head at the loss, he forced himself to turn his attention away. He couldn't be distracted.

The Squad shot high up through the clouds and pierced through them.

And Luke couldn't help but be stunned at the rumored Dreadnaught towering over his fleet and it's accompanying Destroyers. "Force..."

" _That's the weapon..."_ Starkiller said. _"It has to be."_

Luke jammed his fingers over some buttons at seeing his capital ship in the center of the rest of his fleet. Admiral Thrawn was on that ship. "Admiral Thrawn." He paused, waiting for a response. "Admiral!"

" _Prince Skywalker."_ Thrawn finally came back.

"Admiral, get out of here."

" _Once you've cleared the fleet."_ The Admiral stubbornly replied. _"All squadrons have been ordered to occupy the enemy. Make way toward us, we'll supply cover before the retreat."_

Luke's jaw tensed. But again... he couldn't be distracted. "Copy that."

Luke looked out in front of him, cringing internally. There was so many ships in orbit, the computer was having a difficult time mapping it all out in real time.

"Form up, Black Squadron." Luke called through the coms.

 _"Copy that Black Leader."_ The six ships flew through space toward the battle in V form.

" _Your command ship is in the center of that cluster of Star Destroyers. Directly ahead."_ Starkiller alerted

Four of them.

" _We're going to have trouble breaking through a formation like that."_ Starkiller warned through the com. _"I suggest we skirt around."_

"That's not an option. Trust me, I can break that formation." Luke assured. "Just follow my lead."

His attention was seized by an alert beeping. He checked it and turned the alarm off. "We're on their scanners. Their fighters are switching targets."

 _"I see them. Attack formation. We'll blast a hole and pass between them."_ Starkiller instructed.

"Right." Luke affirmed. "On my command..."

The enemy fighters got closer and closer, and Luke yanked on the trigger. The darkness of space lit up with bright green bolts of rapid fire. The four TIE interceptors followed suit, opening fire as they weaved through the residual fighters and debris.

"They're circling around." Luke said from the cockpit of his fighter.

 _"Well, did you have a plan for that?"_ Starkiller snapped.

"Of course. We outrun them." Luke simply said. "I modified this Defender personally. I can fly circle around anything." He added, flipping a few switches on the control panel.

 _"We've got more company! The enemy's deployed... I think it's an interceptor squad."_

These fighters had slimmer forms, taking on a similar design to the TIE/sk fighters. Luke could feel how dangerous they were. Their pilots felt the same as the soldiers they'd encountered in the hangar.

" _We have to get passed them somehow."_

"Black Squadron will take care of them." Luke assured. "Just focus on making the jump."

Simultaneously, the four TIE/IN shifted and shuttle passed between with Luke at their lead.

Luke's chest fluttered as he saw the seven interceptor fighters flying at them. These battles were what he lived for. "Angle deflector shields and fall behind the shuttle." He ordered, flipping another switch on a console above his head. "Black 4 and 5, escort Starkiller and then return to the ship. Here they come..." He muttered to himself.

They fired first.

Luke yanked on the yoke and punched the accelerator, pulling up and over the squad at insane speeds. His fighter flipped around in an arc and chased the enemy down with his superior speed.

Rapid fire cannon shots echoed through his cockpit as one enemy fighter came into his range.

He blew threw it, and the rest of them scattered to swirl around.

The Force flooded Luke. His vision cleared and his senses sharpened. He was able to sense the enemy curve around and attempt to chase him down.

The Force whispered. And Luke obeyed.

Luke killed his engines and stabilizers, and his fighter flipped around in a free fall toward the enemy's general location.

His engines roared to life and he sped directly toward the six fighters, one of them just detonating from Luke's squad.

He was directly in front of an enemy.

They opened fire.

His heart pounded.

He pulled on his controls and the TIE twisted just at the right angle and perfect time for the enemy's fire to pass between his solar panels and cockpit.

A hail of green smashed through the ship and he soared through the wreckage.

He smirked at the victory.

Four against five. He liked those odds.

Luke frowned at the irony when one of his Death Trooper's TIE's solar panels flew off from enemy fire and the cockpit's view port burst out with explosive flames.

He sighed.

 _What's your progress_ The Admiral asked through the comms.

"Not far. The shuttle is nearing the green zone. Admiral, now's your chance to leave."

 _"Affirmative."_

Luke's console beeped in warning that an enemy had locked on. "I've got one on my tail." He called through the comm.

Cursing under his breath, Luke was forced to break hard left as the enemy opened fire. He ducked and rolled, pulling out every trick in the book for evasive maneuvers before the enemy was taken care of by his squad mate.

There wasn't even a chance for congratulations, that pilot met his end in a ball of fire.

Luke growled. These pilots were good. The Force was with them.

He made way to strafe along the surface of a friendly Destroyer for point defense turrets to help him out.

" _Luke! Watch out!"_

Skywalker's head snapped to his right where he saw the massive ship's cannons prepare to fire on that very Destroyer.

Luke cursed under his breath.

The persistent beams bored into the capital ship and Luke yanked the ship up, pushing the modified TIE's engines to their limits. The Force sent a chill down his neck.

The enemy Dreadnaught's main cannons fired through the beams.

Luke's ship rocked violently as the shockwave of the blast smashed into the Destroyer, blowing chunks of it's hull and interior right in his direction.

He stayed calm and focused, performing a set of commands to disabled parts of his ship's automatic repulsors, giving him full control over stabilizing himself.

Luke dove sharply, weaving through the flaming debris, his Defender spinning as the heavy turret's blasted through lethal debris. His computer beeped, alerting him that what remained of the squad had been caught and destroyed.

Luke gazed out into the distance at the shuttle carrying his sister. A squad of TIE fighters formed up around it as they made it into friendly territory. He noted the small hole between Star Destroyers.

As he soared through open space, cover provided by the explosion of the previous Star Destroyer, he quickly made calculations for the shuttle.

"Starkiller, make the jump! I'm transmitting hyperspace calculations now." Luke swerved back around, his ship a smear through the emptiness.

 _"Got it."_ Starkiller confirmed. _"Are you clear?"_

Luke frowned as another enemy squad came for him. "I will be." His fingers danced across the HUD and the computer beeped several times. Twelve enemies. All of them had been locked on to.

Luke smirked. With a simple pull of the trigger, a hail of missiles flew in front of them tailing red sparks and pitch black smoke. The fighters pulled up and aside in a show of impressive evasive maneuvers. "Pointless."

Balls of fire erupted in a wide horizon of red, yellow and scorched fighter pieces flying in every direction.

Luke watched as the only two Star Destroyers that remained in his fleet disappeared into hyperspace following the shuttle. Only a handful of TIE squads remained, each falling like moths to a flame.

Luke's chest sunk. "You've all done the Empire proud today. And you've made me proud to call you my comrades." He spoke over the open coms. "Escape to the planet... take refuge and hide if you can, and that is a direct order. If you're unable to... then give these traitors _hell_." He added in a growl that mirrored both his remaining pilot's anger, and their determination. "For the Empire!"

Dozens of voices responded with their battle cries.

"May the Force be with you all..." He added to himself before the stars smeared in front of him and he burst into hyperspace.

 **— _\- - —_**

At the peak of the Appenza Mountains overlooking the smoking Aldera City, Obi Wan Kenobi's brow scrunched. His lips set in a deep frown. A Star Destroyer was imbedded right into the Palace. The Force was alive with panic as swarms of ships flew into the atmosphere from space.

It was hard to process the Empire _losing_ a battle with the renowned Admiral Thrawn at it's helm.

Having lost the Imperial Agent 13, Obi Wan hopped onto his speeder and quickly made way for the secret hangar bay hidden away in the forest behind the palace. Leia wasn't in there. He sensed she was now in the hands of the Empire.

The city was swarming with troopers in armor reminiscent of that of the Clones, though sleeker and charcoal in color with only a few wearing white. This was the traitorous faction inside the Empire that 13 had spoken about. The sight made the Jedi Master long for the Clone Wars, ironically. Back when things seemed to be so much simpler. He internally huffed at his own thoughts. He remembered thinking how things couldn't get worse, and now he bitterly rejected that.

Carefully skirting around what seemed to be a few small skirmishes where the traitorous Imperials brutally massacred the Sacred Way soldiers.

Not having love for either factions, Obi Wan steered clear until he made it to the forest and finally to the clearing where the entrance to the emergency evacuation hangar was.

Hopping off of his bike, he walked toward the bunker doors. But he paused as the Force tingled.

As if perfectly on queue, several men dressed in all black, matte armor shuffled out of the forest of the trees from all around him in small squads. Each of them seemed to have a strong connection to the Dark Side.

The Jedi Master turned fully to them, putting his questions aside for the moment.

Their blasters aimed right at him. "Down on your knees!" One shouted through a filtered mask.

"Oh... I don't think so." Obi Wan dropped low and flung his lightsaber in a wide arc before jumping so high, they couldn't see him.

Blasterfire lit the clearing up crimson.

Obi Wan's saber spun like a saw blade slicing through those furthest from him.

Obi Wan landed right in front of a group of five or so, shocking them. His saber flew into his hand and he masterfully spun, blocking four blasterbolts in quick succession, each of them soaring back and smacking int the heads of those who fired from behind. Finishing his spin, he sliced his saber up, severing the closest soldiers gun and simultaneously nearly cutting all the way through his forearm. The man screamed in pain and dropped to his knee with his arm dangling.

Obi Wan ducked, sensing more fire from behind him that sparked against their allies armored chests after bouncing off of his cerulean blade.

He flung his arm off to his side, and the bodies of those nearest to him went flying toward the ones shooting at him.

Obi Wan went from group to group, lingering to immobilize each for maybe five seconds. He dashed toward the next, ducking perfectly under a deadly shot of plasma. He noticed that one of the squads were frantically trying to set up a turret.

Obi Wan stopped mid step and changed direction toward them. He speared his lightsaber through two standing in a line and used the moment he had with both hands free to gather energy. A shock wave echoed through the clearing, and the entire group, including their half-set up turret flew back so fast, it was like they hit the trees like bullets.

He reached out and picked up the chunks of turret's debris; sharp metals and large bars and rods, and with a strained grunt and a short wind up, the junk flew through the air right at a set of six.

Gazing around at his handiwork as several grunts and groans were heard, he shut his saber off and opened the bunker doors.

He was saddened to see that he was alone in there. Nobody from the Palace had made it...

In the center of the hangar sat a ship that he sorely wished he'd never see again. The large, shimmering silver, J-type star skiff that once belonged to one Padme Amidala Naberrie. He sighed heavily as he walked toward it.

"Oh! Master Kenobi!"

Obi Wan felt warmth flood his chest. Never in his life did he think he'd be so happy to see the annoying, golden Protocol Droid that reminded him of Anakin. "Threepio." The Jedi smiled.

"Thank goodness you're here! Mistress Leia is in danger!"

Obi Wan walked toward the ramp with the droid following. "I know, old friend."

"Where are you going?" Threepio asked in a flustered voice. "The Princess is in the Palace."

"She's been taken by the Empire." Obi Wan replied. Both entered the ship and moved to the cockpit where Obi Wan sat and began preparing for takeoff.

"Oh no... I've failed her, Master Kenobi. If you wish to deactivate me, I'll understand."

Obi Wan rolled his eyes. "Take a seat, Threepio. We're going to rescue her."

The droid gazed at the Jedi, managing to look stunned. "What have I gotten myself in to?"

The engines roared to life.

From the shadows, Agent 13 stood from his hiding place as the Nubian shuttle lifted and turned. He quickly reached into his coat and tossed a small device out that slapped onto the silver hull and lit up in a dull, red bleep.

He watched it fly out of the hangar and into the sky.

 **— _\- - —_ — _\- - —_ — _\- - —_**

 **— _\- - —_**

 _Thank you all for your kind words! Hope you enjoyed._


	10. Chapter 10: The Calm Before the Storm

— **\- - —**

 **Chapter** **10**

— **\- - —**

Ever since childhood, Anakin Skywalker been able to conquer any challenge presented to him, every obstacle in his path was pushed over with the right amount of effort. He conquered his early education, soaking up every bit of knowledge he could. He'd pushed through the frustration of being held back by the Jedi in the ways of the Force. He destroyed everything that opposed him once he embraced his destiny as Darth Vader, killing even his treacherous Master and single-handedly reformed a thousand year old government who's purpose only seemed to find new ways to kill itself. In essence, there was nothing Darth Vader could not accomplish.

When confronted with the treachery of those within his Empire, he knew what needed to be done to secure his position. Darth Vader would not be overthrown by Palpatine's band of blindly loyal idiots. Just like he planned his moves carefully to take down his Master and the events after Palpatine was killed, he'd taken the same care in planning his next steps after the Shadow Council revealed themselves.

However, he felt something coming that would test him unlike he'd ever been tested before.

From his fortress on Mustafar, Vader sensed his son and his apprentice approaching and yet he felt a disturbance had come with them.

The doors to his throne room opened behind him as he stared into the black clouds. "Your Highness... the Prince and Lord Starkiller have returned from the battle."

The Dark Lord nodded once, dismissing his caretaker.

For a brief moment, he stood pondering the presence that shown so brightly through the Force. Bright as a sun as Luke once felt so long ago. He prodded for answers only for it to go silent; something Darth Vader was not used to.

Two ships flew across the sky in Vader's view and he turned, pausing and glancing back at the ships, asking the Force once more to no avail.

Red-clad Royal Guards stiffened in salute as he passed them, and they followed.

Darth Vader pulled his hood up as the doors slid open.

Heat from the planet's molten surface poured inside, only intensifying as he exited to the landing platform after a brief walk through the hallways.

Luke came into view from behind his fighter and Starkiller strolled down the ramp from his shuttle, a medical team pushing a covered, floating gurney behind him. The Dark Lord's eyes rested on the gurney, curiosity brimming.

"Master." Starkiller bowed at the waist.

Vader motioned for him to stand, looking into the glass covering Alderaan's Princess. "What is this?" He asked as Luke jogged to them.

"Father, she needs to go into surgery immediately." Luke hastily said. "Her spinal chord's been severed, she's got multiple fractured and broken vertebrae- if they don't operate now, she'll be paraly-"

Vader held his hand up to silence his son and then glanced over to Starkiller. "She is the Jedi."

"Yes, Master."

Luke glared at his comrade with a clear look of betrayal on his face.

"But... I think-"

"She's my sister." Luke cut in sharply.

It wasn't often that Darth Vader showed any emotion. His gaze snapped to Luke, a slight hint of anger showing on his face and through the Force. For a fleeting moment, he thought Luke was perhaps trying to lie. Maybe to save the Princess that he somehow had fallen in love with?

Luke's jaw tensed at feeling his father's feelings. "I'm not lying." He pulled out her lightsaber and offered it to him. "She was carrying this."

A slew of old feelings jolt through the Emperor the moment he saw the saber. They intensified as he took it in his hand.

"She knew when we met." Luke elaborated.

Vader wanted to deny it. He wanted to be so angry at Luke for trying to lie, but when his eyes found the unconscious girl... the Force suddenly spoke. But he didn't need it to tell him the truth. Wondering why he never saw the resemblance - after all, he'd met the Princess plenty of times -, he just couldn't deny how she looked like... _her_.

"Father."

Vader motioned for the medic team to proceed with a simple wave. They moved passed him, leaving Vader staring at his old lightsaber as his emotions clashed against each other. Anger at himself, happiness at the revelation, fear for her life.

He handed the saber back to Luke and suddenly turned, prompting for Luke and Starkiller to follow. "Who is responsible for this?"

"I don't know who he is, but he's powerful in the Dark Side." Luke answered. "I defeated him but the enemy rescued him before I was able to capture him."

"They have special soldiers trained in the Dark Side." Starkiller added. "And a capital ship capable of destroying a Star Destroyer with a single blast. It destroyed Luke's fleet. Only two Destroyers remain. The Grand Admiral is making way to the Capitol."

Vader scowled as he stomped through his fortress with purpose. The prisoner had a lot of explaining to do.

"Father, give me command of a Project fleet." Luke pleaded. "I'll go to Alderaan and Gallius Rax-"

"No." Vader quickly said.

"But..."

"Gallius Rax and his Shadow Council will come to us." Vader revealed. "I will see to it myself."

Luke and Starkiller gulped at the deadly tone of the angry Darth Vader.

"And then... we will crush them." The Sith Lord elaborated as the group came on the doors to Tendoora's cell. He turned. "Prepare the fortress for battle." He ordered Starkiller.

— **\- - —**

"Alderaan is ours, Admiral." Warlord Byron Tiess moves to stand next to Rax.

Gallius Rax grinned to himself. "For the moment... a statement nonetheless." He glanced over to the large, sterile, white lit room that housed the personalized medical bay of his creation; C-28 aboard the _Ark_. A small team of medical bots had him on a table, his armor removed and exposing a terribly burnt and scarred chest and a malformed face beneath the mask, one eye sewed completely shut. With their tools, the droids made an incision in his chest and slowly pried it open, reaching in and removing a diamond shaped object from his chest connected to various organic strands and drooling red slime.

Tiess cringed at the sight.

"He's not yet stable." Rax explained slowly. "His emotions have yet to be purged completely."

Tiess pursed his lips. "What is he?"

"An experiment." Rax answered simply. "Our work here gave birth to the Dark Troopers."

Tiess inwardly shook his head uncomfortably. Clearing his throat, he decided to change the subject. "We've located Governor Tendoora."

Rax turned with an interested eyebrow craned.

"Darth Vader has captured him. He is being held at his fortress on Mustafar."

Rax frowned lightly. "Has the Council been alerted?"

Tiess nodded.

Rax stroked his chin for a brief moment. "Tendoora has become a liability. The information he holds on the research facilities... if Vader gets a hold of it, our entire movement will be placed in jeopardy."

"I suggest we move the equipment to a more secure location."

"That could take years." Rax scowled. "No. We have to silence him."

The Warlord took a long, hard look at Rax, searching for some sort of hint of perhaps an uncharacteristic joke... "What are you proposing?"

"We must improvise."

Tiess shook his head subtly. "With respect, we've not scouted at all. Vader has an army we know nothing of."

"And our spies on Mustafar see nothing but the 501st Armada." Rax sharply replied. "If we move quickly, a bombardment of the planet will ensure our security."

"And what does the Council have to say of this?" Tiess challenged.

Rax slowly turned to the man with fire in his eyes. "Mind your place, Warlord." He snapped pointedly. "The Emperor trusted my judgment. You will as well. Now order the fleet to converge on Mustafar."

Tiess sighed an angered breath, glaring for a moment. "Of course, Admiral." He stared firmly before turning on his heels and stiffly walking away.

Rax glared after the Warlord for a moment. Turning back to his project, he watched the droids place the object removed from C-28's chest in an enclosed chamber which opened to a man suspended in the air breathing shallow breaths, ribs protruding and cheeks sunken from starvation, scars on his body from torture and face covered by a metallic helmet. The object floated up in front of the tortured man and the chamber suddenly closed.

— **\- - —**

From the blanket of space surrounding a blue-green planet, the J-type star skiff shot into real space, it's shimmering hull reflecting the brightness of the sun. Inside, Obi Wan swiftly cut off communications while in the clouds; a trick Anakin had shown him to lessen the chance of being spotted on enemy scanners. The ship was an eyesore, tactically speaking, and the Jedi definitely did not want to be spotted piloting such an opulent and rather famous ship on this planet.

The ship rapidly flew into the atmosphere, quickly dipping low right above the a tree line of a bright, green forest before setting down in a secluded clearing.

"Master Kenobi, might I ask as to where we are?" Threepio gazed off toward the planet.

Obi Wan took a short breath and leaned back, following the droid's gaze. "A place where we might find a friend." He answered. "Among many enemies."

"That doesn't sound very safe."

Obi Wan stood up and walked out of the cockpit. "That's because it isn't." The Jedi replied dryly.

Threepio followed. "But what of the Princess? I thought we were going to rescue her." The droid protested.

"We will. But first, we must find find someone who can help." A small door in front of Obi Wan slid open and he reached into it to pull out a black cloak, shaking it of the dust it had gathered. He held it to Threepio. "Here, wear this. Takodana is filled to the brim with scum and villainy." Obi Wan walked toward the lowered ramp. "Anybody here sees your plating, they'll rip it off to sell it. And you'll be melted down and sold for scrap."

"Oh my..." Somehow, the droid managed to look frightened. He quickly covered himself.

Obi Wan stood at a the top of a small hill, gazing down into a large valley where a towering castle stood made of stone. Flags of all creeds were hoisted high and in the center of it's main plaza stood a tall, stone statue.

"Takodana... if my data on this planet is accurate, the odds of us finding someone willing to help a member of the Alliance is nearly 7,000 to 1, and the odds of us being sold out to the Empire are much higher." Threepio explained. "If I may suggest an alternative, surely the Rebel Alliance will be more willing to help us."

"The Alliance is bogged down with diplomacy. Infighting will ensue if I ask for resources." Obi Wan explained. "For this, we will need to find someone capable who can fly us to Vader's Fortress." He and Threepio began their trek down to the structure. "And someone who will buy our ship."

— **\- - —**

If Obi Wan squinted and tilted his head a bit, the castle looked rather extravagant. Having traveled the Galaxy and witnessed a plethora of foreign architecture and cultures, he had to admire the dynamic of the thousands of flags waving in the wind and what the represented. A melting pot of beliefs and creeds. This place was a symbol for togetherness; a peaceful gathering place welcome to all.

To all _pirates_ , that is.

As soon as the odd, shrouded pair entered the castle, they were greeted with an expansive, rather gritty and yet welcoming cantina. A live band played bouncy music to the bustling, drunken crowd of thieves and killers. Conversations both friendly and unfriendly caught the Jedi's ears as he moved through toward the bar at the center, and unsavory with foul language and talks of illicit activities. Pirates bragged about scores, planned their next plunder and boasted of their various wanted statuses.

Obi Wan and C-3P0 sat at the bar where a handful of single and duo patrons sat around, drinking in relative silence in contrary to the rest of the room.

The bartender; a small, orange skinned alien stood behind the bar drying a few mugs with a questionable rag. Her head was covered in a simple cap, clothing seemingly hand-made, a necklace of stone, red beads hung around her neck and a blaster pistol fitting of her size hung from her belt.

She looked up to the hooded Jedi through large, thick, goggle-like bifocals, setting the cup down and adjusting them with a switch on the side. "Not many people walk in here covered in cloaks." She spoke with an accent fitting for her native species. "Someone might think you're up to no good." She tossed the rag off to the side and walked over, hopping onto a ledge behind the bar and leaning over. "So? Are you up to no good?"

A few heads turned, eyeing the pair with their hands hovering over various weapons. Obi Wan's eyes slowly darted side to side. He reached back and pulled off his hood. "No trouble for me, thank you. Only a drink."

The bartender paused, leaning closer in and re-adjusting her goggles with a curious, disbelieving look on her face. With a small smile, she waved her hand subtly and those ready to pounce on Obi Wan turned and resumed their mingling. "Well, well. The Negotiator alive and well in my cantina. Who would've thought?" She reached out for a handshake. "Name's Maz Kanata, what're you having?"

Obi Wan shook it. "Ale, please."

Kanata set to work in pouring his drink. "I have a feeling you aren't just here for the drink." She slid the mug over to him.

"I would be lying if I told you it was the sole reason."

Maz pulled up a stool onto the ledge behind the bar and sat. She stared expectingly.

"I'm looking for someone."

Maz motioned around the room. "It seems you've found plenty of 'someone's'."

"Perhaps you can help me narrow my search."

Maz rose an eyebrow... if she had one. She then held out her hand palm up.

Obi Wan grinned and reached for what credits he had on him.

"Imperial Credits... not worth much around these parts." Maz spoke disappointingly. "Information's not free here, Negotiator."

"My debt is worth much more than Imperial Credits."

Maz pocketed the credits and smiled. "Now _that_ is something worth having a drink over." She pulled her drink from behind the counter, holding it up for a toast which Obi Wan gave and they both took a deep gulp. "So!" She set the drink down in a loud clink. "Who is it?"

"A wanted man with pull inside of the Empire."

Maz's eyes narrowed for a moment. Glancing around, she waved a hand and dismissed anybody sitting at the bar.

"I hear he has active landing codes to the Emperor's Fortress, and the fastest ship in the Galaxy..."

Maz's eyes narrowed in thought. "He won't sell his services for cheap. Especially not to someone who can get him in trouble with Darth Vader." She warned. "And I assume those codes are worth more than a pretty Credit."

"Then maybe you can help me find someone willing to pay a pretty Credit for a one of a kind J-type star skiff as well."

"One of a kind J-type, eh?" She said. "I hope you didn't steal it from anyone I know."

"On the contrary. It was a parting gift from a very good friend of mine." Obi Wan sadly said.

Maz could see the sadness clearly and she didn't need bifocals to see the unwillingness to part with something he held dear to him. If her suspicions were correct, the situation Obi Wan Kenobi found himself in was dire... "A pretty Credit?"

Obi Wan's eyes lit up. "How much are you willing to pay?"

She pursed her lips. "How much do you need?"

— **\- - —**

' _C2J model Cybernetic Thoratic Spinal Column._

 _b97-D model Synthetic T1-12 Thoratic Nerve Endings._

 _H3 model Nervous Sensory Adapters_

 _F-11a series lightweight, duranium coated alloy rib cage_

 _F-199c series lightweight, duranium coated alloy scapula_...'

Luke tossed the datapad detailing the medical procedures performed on Leia to the seat beside him as he sat in her recovery room. She was in a bed covered by a glass dome, several holographic readouts of her vitals spread across the glass.

Exhausted and, frankly fearful of her future, he ran his own cybernetic hand through his hair with a deep breath.

He wasn't fearful for her survival. Not anymore. No, he was more afraid of what was going to happen from here on out. She would resist her father with every fiber of her being. Nothing Luke said or did could change that. He was afraid because Darth Vader was known to be quite temperamental. As much as he trusted his father to never hurt her and repeat past mistakes, the things liable to come out of his mouth may set father and daughter on a path toward destruction. A path where Luke would be forced to choose sides.

Luke sensed Starkiller before the door opened. He looked at Luke for a brief moment before turning toward the girl in the glass shell, walking to it and studying the readouts, flipping through a few screens. "Her body is adapting well." He stated. "She's strong."

Luke sensed that his comrade was both jealous, angry. A bit unsure of his future now that Leia had appeared. He remembered his conversation with Leia about Starkiller and thought maybe she had a point. Maybe Vader did see his apprentice as someone he was willing to replace... "She is his daughter." Luke finally muttered, more to himself.

Starkiller glanced over his shoulder to Luke. "And your sister."

They locked eyes for a short moment. It was as if Starkiller was testing him.

Luke looked away. "It doesn't change anything."

"What doesn't it change?" Starkiller faced Luke and crossed his arms. "The fact that she's a Jedi? Because we both know it does."

"Never mind." Luke sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

"No, I'm curious." The Sith rose his eyebrows, blatantly challenging his comrade. "Is your new philosophy to abandon your belief system when it suits you?"

Luke's jaw tensed. "You think this situation suits me? Like this is somehow what I wanted?"

Starkiller shrugged. "I don't know. You were pretty close with here according to people in the Palace."

"Excuse me?" Luke stood. "If there's something you want to say then say it."

"I am saying it." Starkiller stepped forward. "I'm saying that her influence has clouded your judgment. Her Jedi Master is still out there and he'll come for her."

"Then he'll die like the rest." Luke sneered.

Starkiller gave Luke a small, incredulous huff. "Didn't I say you'd see consequences?"

Turning away, Luke couldn't really deny that.

"You need to look at this situation objectively." The Sith urged in a less confrontational tone.

Luke threw his up his arms. "What would you have me do? Kill her?"

Staying silent, Starkiller's face said it all.

"Wow..." Luke shook his head. "Is that what you would've done if you found your parents alive?"

The Sith Lord's eyes narrowed. "Show mercy to one Jedi and it sends a message to the Galaxy! We can't afford to abandon our principals, now more than ever! The Shadow Council gets a hold of this information, more systems will flood to their side! This Empire was built on the blood of the Jedi and now we're suddenly just going to make exceptions?"

"I'm not gonna play politics with these traitors." Luke snapped harshly. "They can say whatever they want about this situation, but the fact remains that Leia is my sister! She's family, dammit! Why can't you see that?"

"She's your relative." Starkiller corrected. "She's not family."

"So we can't afford to give her a chance to become family?"

"What do you think's going to happen?" Starkiller swiftly retorted. "She's gonna wake up and be grateful that you saved her? Turn to the Dark Side and accept the Empire when it's against her very nature to do so?"

"I don't know!" Luke shouted. "I. Don't. Know! But I'm not going to be stuck wondering for the rest of my life!"

"You don't have to! Do you want me to tell you how this ends?"

"Please. Enlighten me." Luke snidely said.

"She rejects the Empire and Lord Vader is forced to kill her." Starkiller replied, undeterred. "Either that or she loses control..."

The implications weren't lost on Luke. But he did have confidence in his father. "Then answer this; why is my father keeping her alive?"

Unable to rebuke Vader, Starkiller glanced away.

"This isn't your decision to make." Luke shook his head, feeling unsure about it all. "It's not even mine, so arguing is pointless."

Starkiller sighed lightly. "You're right."

Luke sat down hunched over.

"Look, I'm just trying to help." The Sith spoke. "One day, you'll be Emperor and I'll be the Dark Lord. It's my job to advise you on these tough situations."

"You could be less condescending." Luke jabbed with a smirk.

Starkiller huffed a small laugh. "Maybe."

"Thank you. For earlier." Luke said. "You saved us."

"That's my other job. Someone's gotta babysit you."

"Oh, shut up." Luke chuckled.

"Listen, I just spoke with Lord Vader. The fortress is prepared for an assault." The Sith said. "He has a plan. You and I are going to lead the defense on the front lines."

"What about her?"

"He's having her moved. She'll be safer with him." Starkiller explained. "When he contacts you, fall back to the hangar. You'll escort her to Lord Vader's ship when it arrives."

Luke merely nodded. He actually felt a strange sensation... one that asked him if his sister would be safe with him.

But he had no choice.

For a moment, Starkiller watched Luke. The stress of the situation and the weeks prior had gotten to him. He looked like he had very little sleep and the wounds from the assassination of Bail Organa hadn't healed completely. He could sense that Luke was dwelling on worry for what would happen.

Try as he might, Starkiller couldn't purge the empathy he felt for Luke. "Hey."

Luke looked up.

"Relax." Starkiller said in a rather uncharacteristic, softer tone. "Meditate. We have some time."

Luke gave a small, grateful smile and nodded.

"Lord Vader wants to speak brief me on something before the battle starts." The Sith said. "I'll see you at the starting point."

Starkiller left Luke alone in the room with only his thoughts and incessant beeping for company.

He hated the feeling of uncertainty. He hated the lack of confidence he had in himself to bridge the divide between the two extremes that were his father and sister. He'd never felt this unsure about anything.

And boy, did he hate it.

— **\- - —**

For his entire life, Anakin Skywalker had been a slave. If not to Gardula the Hutt, then to Watto. If not to Watto, then to the Jedi. If not to them, then to Darth Sidious. Though he'd hated being under someone else's thumb, what Anakin failed to realize was that most of all, he was slave to himself. His emotions kept him bound in chains thicker than any. When released, they flew around wildly and destroyed unintentionally. His wife had been victim to it.

Anakin failed to realize his greatest weakness. Darth Vader recognized it and he destroyed the weakness and tamed his emotions.

At least, that's what he told himself.

Keth Tendoora's mangled body was being dragged out of the conference room he'd been summoned to from his cell. It wasn't as if Vader couldn't control himself and his rage took his action too far... no, it was Vader reveling in the satisfaction of torturing a man who betrayed the Empire and was indirectly responsible for the state that his daughter was in.

That, and Vader had allowed the prisoner to stew in depression at his family's death and weaken his resolve. Information was torn from his mind easily. A collective of knowledge that Vader was both surprised and enraged by.

As he did while in deep thought, Vader stared out the viewport in his office. He did so until those he summoned entered the room.

Starkiller was accompanied by a man Vader trusted as much as he did Agent 13. A Chiss like Admiral Thrawn, the man was clad in a black Officer's uniform, trimmed red with his Commander rank displayed on his chest.

The Chiss and Starkiller waited for Vader to begin.

"Kro'vect." Vader turned to two. "Gather your team."

The Chiss nodded stiffly.

"My old master still has secrets. A storehouse located on the planet Jakku holds Darth Sidious' research facility. Weapons they plan to implicate in this upcoming war. Information about something that interests me greatly." Vader revealed. "I want the data." He ordered the Chiss. "All of it."

"I'll need a larger team." Kro'vect said.

Vader nodded. "Nether Squad is at your disposal."

"The Initiative's finest." Kro'vect approved. "And Agent 13?"

"He is indisposed."

"It can't be helped."

"Once Nether Squad has cleared the facility with the data, you will destroy it." Vader said to Starkiller.

"There could be loyal Imperial soldiers down there." Kro'vect stepped in.

A dark look came over Vader. "The loss is acceptable." He turned back to Starkiller. "Project _Arbitrator_ is now yours to command."

Starkiller felt a surge of elation. "Yes, Master. Thank you."

"You're dismissed, Agent."

Kro'vect departed without another word and left Starkiller with Vader. The doors closed and the Emperor turned back to the window.

Starkiller joined his Master, standing at his right side. He glanced up at the man for a brief moment. "Something's troubling you, Master."

Vader flexed his jaw subtly. "Even from the grave, Darth Sidious pulls strings." His voice was a low growl. "Those super soldiers... Gallius Rax calls them Dark Troopers. Somehow, they've been enhanced... the Dark Side is with them."

Starkiller frowned.

"And now Obi Wan Kenobi."

Starkiller gave his Master a glance of concealed shock.

"It's time my past is destroyed."

"Master..."

Vader glanced to his apprentice.

"With this new development, I think keeping Kenobi alive for now may be in our best interest. If you kill him, you'll only drive your daughter further away from you. As an enemy... you know how powerful she is."

Vader was a bit surprised. He knew Starkiller resented Luke for choosing not to be a Sith. He also knew Leia would reject that path and if Vader had planned to bring her in, he would kill Obi Wan to drive her into the Dark Side.

But Vader knew all too well the dangers of his children falling completely. After all, they were _his_ blood. Together, they'd be unstoppable and as Sith, they'd bring darkness to the Galaxy unlike ever before seen. Their raw strength surpassed even his own. "As powerful as Luke." He said in a low, dark tone.

Keeping them in balance was the wisest option for all. Vader's intentions weren't to dominate the Galaxy and drive it into darkness. Even as a Sith, his primary goal was peace. It was always his goal. To see his Empire thrive without threat was foremost in his role as Emperor.

And Starkiller was indeed correct. "Wise indeed." Vader humbly accepted the advice. After all, he was in control of his emotions now. His urge to see Kenobi dead was strong, but not as strong as him. "The Shadow Council is making their move. Their armies are on their way to us." Vader said, changing the subject. "I will not tolerate any mercy shown to them." He darkly added. "Grind them into dust."

No prisoners, no survivors. Only crushing defeat. "I'll erase them."

Vader subtly grinned, crossing his arms with a nod. "I know you will."

— **\- - —**

 _ **Now that the holiday season following the Black Friday stuff is here, I'll be pretty busy like I've been. Posts will be a bit slower until it all dies down.**_

 _ **Hope you're all enjoying.**_


	11. Chapter 11: Darkest Day

— **\- - —**

 **Chapter** **11**

— **\- - —**

Darth Vader's 501'st Armada was something of a marvel to behold. A famous fleet often called the Royal Armada or the Death Squadron due to unrelenting brutality and effectiveness. A collective of Star Destroyers unlike any other fleet before it. Each member of his command crews for each ship was handpicked by him personally, all loyal until the very end. Never questioning orders, never even entertaining the idea of betrayal, Vader's Death Squadron was the model for the whole Empire. It always had been.

Admiral Firmus Piett, the honored commander of this marvelous fleet under Vader directly couldn't have been more proud of the men and woman in his command. In perfect formation and battle ready, Piett was more than confident in his and those other officer's abilities to crush the traitors bound to attack. They had no idea what Lord Vader had in store for them.

"We have them on our scanners, Admiral. ETA 4 minutes and counting." One man said.

"Planetary Ion cannon primed and ready."

Piett faced the rest of the bridge. "Very well. Inform the Fortress to start the shield generator."

"Yes, sir."

Moments later, a thick, cloudy bubble formed a protective shield around the entire fleet. Tech developed to protect the former Emperor's Death Star now re-purposed.

The space between the Destroyers and cruisers suddenly flooded with hordes of fighters swarming around.

Piett watched the fleet from the bridge of the _Executor_. Hands clasped behind his back, they incrementally tightened ever so slightly. He could practically feel the tension of the fleet about to go into battle with an enemy they knew very little about.

The bridge went silent as the vacuum in space.

And then, like a crescendo following a soft melody, chaos suddenly popped the bubble of silence.

Star Destroyers appeared in an instant and opened fire without hesitation. Sleek, TIE-like fighters seared out of the enemy hangar bays.

Red bolts from turbo lasers slammed into the shield sending ripples as it absorbed their energy.

And yet, the bridge stayed silent.

Their fighters flew effortlessly through the shield and space was suddenly flashing with green and red. Bright pops of fighters being taken down on both sides flashed like tiny fireworks from the distance.

Piett analyzed the enemy. Their Star Destroyers were definitely modeled after their _Imperial_ -class counterparts and fighters modeled after the TIE line. They seemed a bit quicker and more nimble, weaving through Piett's fighters to make way to the shield and beginning bombing runs, though few made it very far before Corvettes picked them off the moment they cleared the shield.

The enemy's attack formation was impressive, Piett had to give credit where credit was due.

And then, the moment he'd been waiting for happened.

The centerpiece to Gallius Rax's fleet emerged, towering over it's accompaniment, its vertical wing-like structures already opened and glowing bright red.

Admiral Piett experienced a brief moment of fear at the thought of the shield being unable to withstand the inevitable blast from the _Ark_ 's weapon.

The dual, thin beams converged against the shield now glowing and pulsing bright green, straining to absorb it as it sent flames and sparks against the surface. Two massive missile like blasts of pure plasma shot out and Piett held his breath with the rest of the crew.

In a blinding flash of light, the blasts collided with the shield. The men on the bridge covered their eyes, some instinctively ducking just in case. The resulting explosion against the shield was a detonation of fire and energy spewing back wide and tall as any Star Destroyer would be.

The light died down and the bridge was then alive with bustling noises.

"Shield at 62%!"

"Ion cannon's having difficulty locking on!"

"We're losing fighters quick!"

Piett scowled. "Break the fighters apart. Circle them around toward the _Ark_ and prepare to lock on and destroy any enemy fighter that breaches the shield."

A majority of fighters from both sides disengaged each other and hastily broke for the capital ships.

TIE bombers bombarded the enemy Destroyers. Enemy bombers weaved between turbolaser fire once inside the protective shield, though dropping like flies to the Corvettes.

A larger explosion caught the Admiral's attention, quickly followed by another. And then another.

"Sir, three Corvettes down and two disabled!"

"Deploy the Interceptors at once!" Piett barked.

Said Interceptors raced out of the Destroyers.

The tiny explosions of dogfights were now much close and much brighter. They crashed against the hulls of the Star Destroyers while they fired large, green shots in every direction. Comms were alive with frantic chatter and sudden static.

Piett then noticed the _Ark's_ weapon prime.

"Do we have a lock on that ship!?" Piett shouted.

"Not yet!"

The Admiral growled.

Beams battered the shield and then absorbed one more devastating shot from Rax's ship.

"21%!"

"We can't take another one!" Piett growled. "Order all bombers to converge on that Star Destroyer!" He pointed to the one seemingly blocking the planetary Ion cannon from having a clear shot.

"Troop transports have breached the atmosphere!"

Piett only hoped the ground forces were enough to keep that Ion cannon up and running. His priority was surviving.

— **\- - —**

Anti aircraft weapons mounted on the obsidian structure of Vader's Fortress swiveled, each one aiming at the blackened clouds. Slightly parting, fighters roared out of the clouds, trailing the ash with them.

Turrets opened fire.

Missiles rocketed from the Fortress, green bolts of laser fire streaked across the sky and painted it red and yellow as the lava beneath, with direct hits.

The sky was alive in chaos.

Loud engines vibrated the floor as ships strafed, dropping bombs and hails of red, leaving long streaks of explosions across both the structure and the black banks near the rivers of lava.

White clad stormtroopers flew like rag dolls. Enemy ships burst across the sky in a downpour of shrapnel. Some splashed into the molten liquid, spraying searing rain down on to the ground.

The Shadow Council's transports trailed safely behind the fighters, landing harmlessly a safe distance away. They unloaded their striped, armored marines who ducked from the firefight above and sprinted toward the Fortress.

Stormtroopers awaited them and a chaotic firefight mirrored the one in the skies.

Soldiers on both sides of the long, outstretched platform before the Fortress fell like flies. Sparks flew from their armor as well aimed shots found their mark.

Starkiller watched the chaos from a platform above the battle. Behind him, a group of four stood waiting for orders. Contrast to the white-clad soldiers below, this group of four were covered in lightweight armor, shimmering black like other squads of Imperial Special Forces. Thin, dark purple stripes were drawn down their right arms, color matching the insignia on the left, small pauldron. A simple triangle with the bottom line missing. Two, vertical, parallel, stylized lines slashed across the middle.

Ethereal Squad. The most elite enforcers for the High Command Security Force.

One stepped forward beside Starkiller and knelt on one knee. A long rifle was strapped to her back. She pulled out a pair of binoculars, brought them to her helmet and stared through them.

Starkiller glanced down at her.

"No sign of these super soldiers yet." Her voice was electronically muffled through the helmet's modulator.

"Then you're not looking hard enough." Another muffled, gruff voice said. Though hard and textured, the voice had the poise of a core world accent. He stepped forward, holstering his big... big gun on his back, leaned down and snatched the binoculars.

The woman stood up.

"You've lost your touch, Tash." The man berated. Handing her the binoculars, he addressed Starkiller. "Three shuttles just touched down in sector 3."

The female agent, Tash confirmed it. "Those weren't there before, Jeran." She defended. "You got lucky."

"I'm sure they weren't."

"Shut it, Jax." Tash snapped at the one behind her. The youngest of the group and the younger brother of Jeran.

Though the kid's face was covered, his pout was shown in the way his shoulders slightly slumped and assault rifle dipping in his hands slightly.

"Cut the chatter, all of you." The last of the Squad, and the obvious Commander pushed passed his three counterparts. Commander Kiygan of Ethereal Squad rested the barrel of his E-21A assault rifle on his shoulder. "Orders?" He asked Starkiller.

The Sith glanced over his shoulder to see Luke walk onto the platform in full gear. Light armor plates over his chest and back with lightweight pauldron, all a matte black over his dark clothing. His cap fluttered with the light wind.

Ethereal Squad stiffened instantly. "Your Highness." Commander Kiygan spoke for the group.

Luke dipped his head slightly to the man.

"They're here." Starkiller informed Luke.

The Prince stood next to the Sith Lord. "I know. I felt them the moment they arrived." A sneer crossed his face. "I'm not here for them."

"He'll show up." Starkiller assured. "I'll make sure of it. You just be ready to clean up." He turned toward the Commander. "Lead them to the Generator." The Sith Lord ordered. "We'll take care of the rest."

Kiygan nodded once. "You heard him." He turned back to the Squad. "Tash, up top." He pointed up and Tash stood, aiming her wrist up toward a ledge higher up before a grapple shot out and took her up. "Jeren, take out the staircases and ramps." The gruff man saluted, hooking a grapple of his own and scaling down the side of the Fortress.

"You two with me." Luke finished.

"Yes, My Lord."

The smell of burnt ozone and blaster-charred armor assaulted Luke and Starkiller's noses. The light pings of firefights echoed alongside detonations from above and below.

Darth Vader's apprentice and son couldn't help but feel excited. After all, they were both terrifying forces to be reckoned with on separate battlefronts. But together...

Starkiller stepped off of the platform and landed just behind ally lines. His crimson blade shot out, glowing across the smooth floor.

Luke landed right next to him, Commander Kiygan and Jax coming to a hover before their jet packs cut off.

Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber snapped to life.

Fear echoed through the crowd of enemies and confidence surged through the Stormtroopers.

The Shadow Council's marines rose their rifles, aiming unsteadily.

Imperial soldiers resumed their firing on the stunned enemies.

Gripping their sabers, Starkiller and Luke reacted instantaneously to the shots targeted at them.

Dashing and blocking, Starkiller steadily made way to the marines while shots ricocheted, many finding marks and downing enemies with their own blaster fire while Luke hung back to defend his troops with the two members of Ethereal Squad aiming and firing bursts of red with surgical precision.

Ahead, a detonator soared toward Starkiller. With a flick of his wrist, the device flew back at them, exploding and flinging deadly shrapnel in every direction. Hitting the base of a light pole, the light toppled over, crashing against the floor while sparks shot out.

Only the dull glow of Mustafar's lava lit the platform.

Starkiller dashed, using the low light to his advantage and shoved his hand outward.

Dozens were sent careening backward several feet at breakneck speeds, colliding with their comrades and disorienting the whole group.

But more bolts from behind those he'd taken down rained on him mercilessly. He was hardly effected, nor was he feeling fear of any sort. It was anger he felt. Anger that they even thought they had the right to exist in Lord Vader's Empire. Anger that they even had the audacity to put up a fight. Rage at the betrayal.

Starkiller easily deflected the hail of fire that fell upon him with his lightsaber waving and twirling brightly around, smoke and sparks bouncing off of the crimson sword. Though not in danger, he was slowed by being put on the defensive.

Seeing this, Luke took a moment to point toward Starkiller and the elite soldiers burst into the air toward the Sith.

Skywalker dashed right toward the leading squad.

The squad's leader rotated his weapon. His barrel blared to life and bright, red lasers flew at him.

With practiced ease, Luke's blade came up and reflected the fire, angling his saber just right so he'd catch a few at the perfect angle and send their shots searing right through their chests.

His senses captured every detail of the large platforme and mapped out an efficient strategy to both save his soldiers and neutralize this threat. Further down, more squads of soldiers ran toward him and Starkiller.

Luke raced forward. Weaving through the blasterfire in a low sprint, his lightsaber carved a molten streak through the ground and arced upward the instant he was in range of the soldiers, straight through the first's legs and sweeping up and over to sever the second's hands. He spun around him and sliced across the next's chest and swiftly ducked underneath another's weapon before sinking his blade through his chest. Luke tugged the blade from his body, simultaneously diverting a shot from the side.

He glanced toward the last man in his immediate vicinity, sensing the terror he felt at his impending doom. Luke stalked toward the man, his blue blade swiping a stray shot away. The soldier rose his weapon and Luke outstretched his gloved hand.

The marine was ripped up from the ground, his gun clattered across the floor as his hands clawed at his neck beneath the helmet.

Luke's danger sense flared and he ducked on command from a shot fired behind him. Another squad eased toward him with weapons blaring.

Luke squeezed his fist, killing the suspended trooper before swinging his arm and turning, flinging the dead man toward his comrades and broke their fire. Luke swiftly closed the distance and hacked each of them down without a second thought.

Freed up and satisfied Luke was watching his back, Starkiller made his way forward at a steady pace, cutting down anything that was in his path with no mercy.

Through the Force, he could feel their fear of the two powerhouses thinning their numbers. Their thoughts, however, weren't of the pair's abilities so much as it was their hope dying...

In one instant, Starkiller deactivated his lightsaber, and almost completely disappeared into the darkness.

The marines ceased their fire on him, pausing and turning in order to try and garner his position while fending off the advancing Stormtroopers. A few frantically fired at nothing, the smart ones shifted their attention toward Luke.

 _It's no use_. Starkiller thought with a cold resolve. He was perched on top of one of the lower platforms, gathering his energy and keeping watch on his squad. Jeren was busy holding his blaster cannon at his hip while firing loud, large bolts near the edges of the platform to prevent any troopers from climbing up. Jax and Kiygan expertly weaved through the flanks while jetting around. Tash picked off every straggler and every threat not eliminated by Luke.

Starkiller then felt the presence of those men he'd been waiting for. The Dark Troopers hustled along the banks to find an entry point onto the large platform where the battle for the Fortress's main gates took place.

It was time to end it.

The Dark Side swirled around Starkiller, almost darkening the entire compound.

He stepped off of the platform.

Luke dashed backward behind Starkiller.

With thrusts of the Sith Lord's arms, a wave of energy exploded toward his enemies. Bones shattered, debris was sent hurtling along side the marines unfortunate enough to be caught in his direct line of sight.

He and Luke then lept high and once their feet touched the ground, landing in the giant gap Starkiller made in their group, they instantly became a whirling force of crimson and cerulean death. In a matter of seconds, they took out more and more of their forces.

Starkiller was dashing large distances from one group to the next with his lightsaber whirling violently.

Luke was brutally hacking down enemies in each group.

The marines were too disoriented to return fire for fear that they may hit their own comrades while others were pinned by Ethereal Squad and the Stormtroopers.

Luke and Starkiller's power grew with each life they took.

Sensing the Dark Side soldiers had arrived and making way to where he'd wanted them to, he halted his advance and shifted back into the ranks of his men while Luke pressed forward. "They're breaching the outer walls." Starkiller spoke into his comm device on his wrist, glancing to Luke who nodded. "I'll take them. Fall back to the hangar when you're finished here."

— **\- - —**

Gallius Rax held his elbow, other hand stroking his chin in thought. Imperial TIE bombers were tearing one of his Star Destroyers apart, nearly all of them focusing on it. Like a swarm of bees dropping highly explosive bombs. The ship was lost, he'd come to terms with that, but why? Why focus on just one Destroyer? Especially when the _Ark_ was the primary threat?

"Weapon charged in 50 seconds."

Rax sighed internally. Piett was planning something. Vader's Death Squadron hadn't fired a single shot outside of their meddling shield. Not a single Capital ship had breached to return fire. Surely they couldn't hide in there forever. "Has C-28 and the Dark Troopers reaches the shield generator?"

"No, sir. They're still making way."

Rax frowned. The battle was supposed to be enough distraction for C-28 and his squad to take out the shields. Vader's Fortress was impenetrable while protected, and so was his fleet.

Maybe not from a direct shot from the weapon.

Even so...

Vader couldn't hide forever. And he was much too smart to sit in his castle and wait for Rax to destroy it. He always had a plan and at least two backups. This offensive could cripple the Empire. With the 501'st gone, the Emperor would have to reveal his project fleets to the Galaxy and risk driving the Senate and countless systems away for his underhanded, private funding for said projects. Vader had broken his own laws and created a private militia, and an incredibly dangerous one at that.

Darth Vader had to destroy Rax here and now. And the thought unnerved the Admiral greatly. Confident as he was, nobody was calm when Darth Vader wanted their head.

"Weapon charged!"

Rax smirked lightly. Piett's shield couldn't take another hit from his weapon. "Target the _Executor._ Fire when ready."

Rax saw the bright glow of the weapons priming. The beams shot out and converged. With a loud boom, they fired.

The shields buckled under the intense power of the _Ark's_ Fission Plasma Cannons and in a wonderful display of destruction, the blasts demolished a corvette and smashed into a Star Destroyer behind it that protected the Super Star Destroyer. Massive chunks of the Destroyer collided with surrounding ships, it's engine bay detonating in a bright, yellow and blue against an adjacent Destroyer, completely disabling it.

The Death Squadron immediately opened fire.

Rax's fleet fired back.

Explosions shook the _Ark_ , but nothing that even remotely made Rax fear for it's shield's integrity.

But again... the _Executor_ moved into attack position and finished off the Destroyer that the TIE bombers had been focusing on.

"Sir! There's a massive power reading coming from the planet!"

"It's a planetary Ion cannon!"

Rax scowled. "Evasive actions!"

The Dreadnought slowly pulled up.

A huge, crackling blue shot made a hole through Mustafar's atmosphere.

Rax's ship shook violently. The lights flickered and detonated and electricity sparked from every console, a few officers being fried in their seats.

The Imperial Armada redirected their attack, battering the _Ark_ with a hellfire of brutal turbolasers and various missiles and rockets.

"Where are the backup generators!?" Rax screamed in rage.

Receiving no answer, Rax stomped to a console and shoved the dead, smoking man seated there out of the way. It's terminal was useless.

Gallius slammed his fist against it and pulled out his personal comm. "Where the hell is the backup power!?"

" _Working on it, Admiral!"_ A man yelled back over the alarms in the service bay.

Another wave of attacks hit the ship.

Rax fell.

His ship was capable of surviving a beating like this, but only for so long. He needed those generators.

As if his prayers were answered, the few lights that hadn't detonated flickered on and various control panels sparked to life, rebooting.

"Shields at 28% power!"

"Weapons at 59%!"

"We don't have enough power to fire the weapon! The main reactor hasn't the power to reboot properly!"

"Engines at 21% efficiency!"

Rax pushes himself up and dusted off his uniform. "Get a repair team down there this instant!"

"Already en-route!"

Rax stomped back to the viewport, face red from fuming anger. A trickle of blood slid down the side of his face from his impact with the floor.

His ship wouldn't survive another direct hit from that cannon. Not with the 501'st ready to engage at a moment's notice. Oddly, the fleet ceased fire.

"Admiral! They've repaired their shield! It's back up!"

So. That was their plan. Hit and hide. How distasteful. "Focus fire on that planetary Ion cannon!" He barked.

"Yes sir!"

Rax's fleet instantly spewed red down onto the planet.

"Direct hit! The Ion cannon is disabled!"

Rax smirked.

"Full power has been restored, Admiral! The Weapon is back online!"

"Target the Fortress's generators." Rax hissed. "The fleet may be protected, but the Fortress shield cannot survive a direct hit."

"Target locked!"

Dark elation spread through him. "Destroy it!"

— **\- - —**

Starkiller sprinted through the Fortress, senses on high alert while keeping track of the super soldiers he raced to intercept. The Shadow Council's marines had yet to breach the structure due to Luke's continued destruction, so his path was clear.

Starkiller turned a corner and made way for the inner circle where there the generators were beaming the shields that covered the Fortress and the fleet in space.

He took a step around the corner. A step that seemed to echo through the corridors, and stopped.

The Force jolted him into stunned shock.

The ground suddenly rumbled.

Starkiller took a step back.

Sweat dropped off of his chin. A cold sweat.

Dark foreboding descended on him as the distinctive sound of the destructive beam of the _Ark_ 's primary weapon reached his ear.

With his eyes wide in fear, he could only round the corner, stepping backward, turn and run for his life. To get as far away as possible.

The ground beneath him suddenly buckled.

A chilling cold crawled up his spine and then a searing heat burned his skin.

He suddenly couldn't hear anything, couldn't see anything. He couldn't feel anything.

There was only black.

— **\- - —**

The Fortress's very foundation shook violently. An explosion of fire hot as the lava and bright as the sun lit the night sky. Massive chunks of debris splayed out in thick plumes of smoke, crashing into the lakes and the ashen land.

Darth Vader quickly found his balance. He was confident in his Fortress's integrity. The blast wasn't a direct hit, the shields did their job. The shot blew the side of the cliff it stood on wide open.

Strong as the castle was, it couldn't survive another direct hit.

The glass of the viewport he frequently gazed out of had shattered. The table and chairs were smashed against the walls. Lights flickered, panels sparked.

The hot winds rushed inside, his cape fluttered high behind him.

It was only a matter of time before Rax targeted the Fortress, time he'd hoped to have more of. Nonetheless...

Vader turned. The broken blast doors to his office opened forcefully as he walked toward them.

The shrouded man serving as Vader's aide ran to catch up with the Emperor, his wrinkled skin caked with blood from a fall, but alive and willing to serve.

"Take the Princess to my shuttle." Vader stiffly ordered.

The man stumbled with the collapse of a portion of the Fortress. A crash that seemingly had no effect on his Emperor.

"And prepare the fighters."

— **\- - —**

Something was wrong.

The moment the buzzing in Luke's ears silenced and his blurry vision cleared, the Force whispered menacingly.

Luke stood, glancing all around him at the men, friendly and enemies alike struggling to regain their senses. And then there was the Fortress. Huge chunks of rubble still fell from the cliff-side, crashing into the molten lakes. Smoke billowed up, mingling with the black clouds.

It all felt so wrong. There was a pit in his stomach, the same one he'd felt when he thought Leia had died. But he still sensed her presence. And his father's. Which meant...

Without second thought, he sprinted toward the castle.

— **\- - —**

A shuttle sailed across the darkened sky, uninhibited by the dogfights around it. Soaring through the massive clouds of smoke, it came to a steady hover over a partially destroyed landing platform, ramps lowering.

Light from the shuttle's interior glinted off the metallic mask covering C-28's face and the wispy, torn lower robes extending from his belt flowed as he stalked onto the ground. A group of three followed. Their pitch, matte black armor and ominous helmets almost blended in with the smoky clouds above. They marched in unison, blasters held close to their chests and followed their leader into the cavernous opening of Darth Vader's Fortress where a bridge crossed over the lava below, a circular platform in it's center.

A security squad of Stormtroopers rounded the corner of the expansive room. C-28's escort shifted forward, raising their blasters in unison. Red bolts of plasma erupted, sounds echoing loudly.

C-28 unhooked his lightsaber and it sprang to life, shedding blood red across his form. He darted across the bridge so fast, the Stormtroopers hardly had time to process. With masterful twirls of his blade and swift movements, he cut down the troops that hadn't already been gunned down.

Chunks of white armor over dismembered body parts lay strewn around him in a brutal scene of merciless annihilation.

Another group appeared at the end of the hallway, this one lead by one of Vader's infamous Inquisitors.

C-28's Dark Troopers were beside him, their blasters bucking from the recoil of automatic fire. The Inquisitor nimbly evaded, the double sided saber he wielded crackling to life.

The Dark Troopers knew to focus fire on the Stormtroopers. C-28 would handle their leader.

Had he been a man still, he would've felt dark elation. Instead, he only felt cold, heartless resolve.

He bolted forward as the Inquisitor lept, his blade twirling on it's axis only to stop as he slammed one side into C-28's lightsaber.

The Inquisitor took a step back and his blade spun like a saw leaving sparks and streaks of hot metal on the ground. C-28 waited patiently for the show to end. "Your head will be a wonderful gift for Lord Vader." The Inquisitor's voice was raspy and almost nasally.

Blaster bolts sped harmlessly past the two, shots from the Dark Troopers leaving gaping, burnt holes in the Stormtroopers chests. More reinforced them.

The Inquisitor spun his weapon in a flashy attempt to startle C-28, but Darth Sidious's creation was not impressed. He instead slashed his blade and exchanged three quick attacks that cracked against his opponent's saber.

He purposefully left himself open for counterattack after analyzing the Inquisitor's strategy. Vader's pet took the bait, lunging in to impale C-28 but the attack was batted away with strength that made the Inquisitor stumble.

C-28 rose his blade and cut right through the center of the lightsaber the Inquisitor held. It sparked as it died down and the Shadow Council's enforcer drank in the Inquisitor's palpable fear before ending his pathetic life.

The Dark Sider fell to the ground in two pieces.

C-28 stepped over the mess. He stalked forward, intercepting bolts from the Stormtroopers who's minds were clouded in terror.

The slaughter that followed was quick, each of them hacked down as if standing still.

Their deaths meant little to C-28. When compared to his prize, nothing was worthy of meaning.

He and his Dark Troopers came across a hallway destroyed. The floors had caved into an antechamber below. And there lied C-28's true target.

The masked man jumped to the floor below, landing on the chunks of ruble beneath.

His target stood meters away, facing him. Waiting for him.

 _The Starkiller_.

C-28 jumped off of the rubble.

The Sith Lord stepped into the ample light cast from above. A trail of blood followed. The left side of his face was scorched almost to the bone, vision halved because of it. Half of his tunic had burnt completely off leaving only charred skin and muscle on his shoulder and part way onto his chest an back. In that hand, he held his saber. It's chrome finish smeared red.

The saber roared to life.

Darkness swirled between them like a hurricane of fierce hatred.

Starkiller's jaw set as C-28 raised his blade in a ready stance. He was prepared to attack, but made no move quite yet.

Through the fog of pain, the Sith could feel his enemy's fear of him. He was wary, and rightfully so.

The pair stared each other down for several long moments.

Then, Starkiller lunged with all the ferocity of the Dark Side. Their blades crackled with energy in a deadly lock.

C-28 broke the lock, and began to swing his saber at the offending Sith, but his offensive didn't last long at all. Starkiller blocked two blows, and countered savagely with four. His attacks were quick, and powerful, and blindingly accurate. C-28 found himself barely able to mitigate killing blows.

Even wounded and on his last leg, Darth Vader's apprentice was a terrifying foe. He had maddening power, the Dark Side was almost physically heavy.

C-28 blocked a downward strike, but was sent careening backward with a cracking wave of power. He slammed into the ruble with a thud, his breath knocked out of his lungs, and his awareness blurry.

He heard blaster fire erupt from the men above, but he could feel their lives snuffed out almost instantly and actually hearing their bodies smack against the floor.

Starkiller suddenly turned to C-28 with dark intent in his eyes. He reached his hand out as C-28 stood, and he was suddenly frozen in place.

Scratching at the floor of his mind, the Sith Lord's black tendrils of power dug into C-28. He was almost easily sifting through his mind.

All at once, the claw of the Dark Side squeezed, digging its talons right into the depths of the masked shadow's consciousness. A jolt of hatred penetrated his brain, burning like acid, sinking itself forcefully deeper and deeper.

A look of sheer surprise crossed C-28's mind, and a scoff of pain followed instantly. It came in waves, singular jolts of pure fire burning his brain. An anguished yell escaped his throat, and his lightsaber clattered to the floor quickly followed by the full thud of his knees collapsing to the ground. He grabbed his head in a vain attempt to stop this agony.

It only got worse. Starkiller's power drilled deeper into his brain and he was near helpless to stop it. Screams of pure agony distorted his voice, cracking with instability as his own hands squeezed his head.

His head was going to explode, pressure built at a rapid rate.

And then it did. Like his head was made of glass, he no longer felt pain. He felt...

Nothing.

His mind's eye introverted on itself, as if he was watching his memories play back for him in a jumbled, chaotic mess. Memories he... didn't know he had. The life of someone he didn't know played for him.

 _Show me what you fear, and I will force you to face it!_

Fear?

A plethora of images shot through his vision, resting on vague, incomplete memories of his a childhood he didn't remember. Faces he didn't know, a planet he'd never seen. Memories locked away in his psyche with intentions to never be touched again.

 _Show me!_ _What do you fear?!_

Starkiller's enraged voice rang so loud in C-28's head that it rattled what little concentration he had on trying to piece together his own mind.

"Fear...?" He heard himself say.

True fear was a concept he didn't know.

At least... he didn't think he did...

— - - — - - —

 _A room._

 _Black walls._

 _Dim lights..._

 _It all came into focus. Muffled voices cleared._

 _C-28 found himself face to face with the former Dark Lord of the Sith himself seated high above him on a chair serving as a throne up dozens of stairs._

 _A memory... he was being shown his fears._

 _"Y-you're the Emperor." He stated cautiously. "But you can't be. I can feel the Dark Side in you."_

 _C-28 was young. A boy maybe. He was in chains... He vaguely remembered being captured, though unable to remember_ why _._

 _His mind was now fully alert, brimming with curiosity, fear and confusion._

 _"I am Darth Sidious. Dark Lord of the Sith." Palpatine proclaimed dramatically. "And ruler of the Empire."_

 _The boy's eyes widened in recognition. In utter fear. Sith... like Vader._

 _"Indeed, my boy." Sidious slowly scaled down the steps, his cane snapping against the floor._ _"I have been looking for someone like you for many years."_

 _He struggled against his restraints, tapping into the power of the Force only to find it refuting his call. "Let me go!"_

 _Palpatine smiled evilly. "Your anger... I can feel it." He hissed. "Yes... yes."_

 _"I said let me go!"_

 _"Oh... I'm afraid you'll be staying for quite some time." Sidious responded in a patronizing show of fake concern. "You will learn to call this place your home."_

 _"My friends will rescue me." C-28 huffed haughtily._

 _The Emperor cackled at that. It made anger swell in his chest. "Your friends are dead, young Jedi."_

 _"Wha-?" He felt his entire body go numb. "No... no that's not true! You're lying!"_

 _"Fear not, young Jedi. In time, you will forget them." Palpatine's show of faux concern only added to C-28's oncoming state of panic. "You now serve me."_

— - - — - - —

"And now you'll serve Darth Vader." Starkiller growled darkly.

C-28's heart pounded.

Rage exploded through the Force.

Starkiller stumbled back, briefly stunned at the power.

The man that was once C-28 stood huffing, shoulders puffed out like an animal. "I will _never_ bow to anyone again."

With a scowl, Starkiller grabbed his saber. It was time to put the fear of a Sith Lord into this man.

The moment the blade hissed to life, C-28 snapped.

He sprinted forward, the Force shaking at his anger and brought his saber down harshly. Starkiller stopped the blade dead in it's tracks. They locked the one remaining eye each had, sickly yellow meeting each other.

Their lock broke, and the raging shadow lashed out ferociously at Starkiller, the slices of his blade humming wildly, crashing against The Sith Lord's who simply defended for the moment, watching his opponents movements like a hawk, finding weak spots in his stance, and his execution. Form V, no mystery to Starkliler.

How foolish to use a form of combat Starkiller was intimately familiar with.

This man left himself open for an attack. Very tiny pockets of vulnerability.

C-28 came down on him with a strike, putting surprising strength and body weight into it.

Starkiller brought his saber up, catching the red blade and redirecting the power to his side. C-28 stumbled forward. Starkiller gave himself a moment of respite to catch his breath and ease his dizziness before spinning on his heel and using that momentum for a quick, and powerful strike.

The Sith Lord felt C-28's surprised fear. He quickly, and rudimentary brought his saber up. Their blades connected, and the sheer force of the attack knocked his saber hand away from him, leaving him completely open.

Starkiller poised to stab him, lunging much too fast for him to block or parry it. He stepped directly to his right, the blade of his enemy searing through the side of his stomach. He winced, grunting his displeasure as he backed off to regain his defensive position.

The Sith held his blade lazily at his side, vacant, emotionless stare in his corrupted eyes, scrutinizing his enemy. They circled each other, the masked man standing in an opening stance for Makashi, and the Sith dragging his lightsaber carelessly through the ground, reverberating the sound of energy cracking against ground beneath.

C-28 growled. He was being mocked! This little Sith Lord thought he was better than him!

Rage welled inside of him. His senses expanded through the Force.

Starkiller was dominant thus far. He blocked C-28's harsh emotions out of his mind. They were loud like a shrill whistle in a vacant maze.

In an unpredictably fast movement, he dashed at Starkiller. The Sith blocked the strike... but his ankle buckled as if he'd taken a bad step.

Fear flooded the antechamber.

Starkiller shifted quickly backward as C-28 ducked low, and swung his blade at Starkiller's inside.

A painful grunt satisfyingly rang in raging man's ear.

He popped back up and glared at the Sith, a still glowing slash across his chest.

Power was rapidly draining from him... he felt his body begin to give in to it's wounds.

The Sith apprentice scowled deeply and dashed forward. C-28 spun, a blade knocking Starkiller's saber away and coming fiercely back with a counter, ready to slice Starkiller's head clean off.

He ducked at the last second, retaliating quickly with a slice of his own to which the masked assassin quickly adjusted his lightsaber to block.

Starkiller was forced to lunge forward to avoid the lethal lightsaber slicing his head.

The Sith Lord's urgency heightened. He was running out of time...

Starkiller rolled quickly out of his dive, only to be forced to defend against C-28 who became a flurry of movement, spinning, dashing, and striking blindingly fast attacks. A whirlwind of unpredictable lethality.

C-28 quickly came down on his enemy once more, feeling the buckle in his opponent's defense, his attack struck harder than the first, pushing Starkiller's arm in a most vulnerable place. C-28's blade slid up, and nearly sliced Starkiller's lightsaber at it's emitter. Instead, it flew out of his hands.

Starkiller suddenly crashed against the wall, his breath left his lungs like the power left his body.

He realized... he was too weak to fight.

C-28 kept Starkiller pinned, his deep feral breaths coming out in angry growls. Shutting down his saber, he slowly walked toward the battered Sith.

Starkiller refused to panic. He refused to feel fear of any kind. He only searched for ways to regain the dominance that slipped away from him.

He saw his lightsaber just feet away.

It flew into his hand, but not as fast as C-28 had closed the distance between them.

With one hand around Starkiller's neck, the other pinned his wrist to the wall and squeezed.

With every ounce of strength he could muster, Starkiller pushed back, glaring hatefully into the mask in front of him.

But C-28 was too strong.

Starkiller's wrist buckled with a snap and his lightsaber was swiped from his hand.

He felt the cold metal press against the exposed skin on his chest.

Death called out to him, but he only smirked in the face of his killer. "You have no idea what's coming for you."

C-28 paused.

"I know what you fear. He's coming for you." Starkiller continued. "You can't run, he will catch you. And you know what?" His grin widened. "You'll _never_ be strong enough to face him."

A jolt of rage surged from the masked villain.

A snap-hiss rang through the antechamber and Starkiller inhaled a sharp, pained breath.

He allowed himself to rest.

Galen Marek's body went limp, his head slumped onto his killer's shoulder as his last breath left his lips.

C-28 pulled the blade from Starkiller's heart, letting his body fall to the ground. He glared at it with hatred burning in his gaze.

He won.

But his hands couldn't stop shaking. He was feeling it again... _true fear_.

Starkiller's weapon crumpled in his hand before he cocked his arm back and launched it against the wall with an enraged scream.

He'd done it... he should be elated!

But he was terrified instead.

— **\- - —**

His feet couldn't carry him fast enough. He thought maybe if he made it there quickly, somehow he'd be in time to stop it.

When Luke Skywalker came across the antechamber, it became real. Starkiller was dead.

He slid on his knees to a halt at the side of his fallen comrade. His friend. His brother.

He fruitlessly checked for a pulse, pumped Starkiller's chest, threatened him to wake up. Against all logic, he begged the Force to bring his friend back.

But there was no point.

He couldn't cry, the tears just wouldn't come. He could hear Starkiller chastising him for shedding tears over his body. Perhaps that's what prevented them from coming.

A quick swarm of emotion ending with a flash of rage left Luke drained. He felt numb. Responsible, even. He cursed his training for not being fast enough or sensing it in time.

He cursed his father for not being there to save his apprentice...

The Dark Lord's footsteps echoed through the antechamber, coming to a stop behind Luke. He expected to sense disappointment from his father.

But he felt... sadness.

He placed a comforting hand on Luke's shoulder. "Come."

Luke ground his teeth, that flash of rage rearing it's head once more.

"This isn't over yet."

The hand left Luke's shoulder as Vader turned. Emptiness returned to Luke's chest.

As he moved to stand, the shimmer of Starkiller's saber caught his eye. A crumple, mangle mess of blood smeared metal.

Luke walked over and picked it up. That weapon had saved his life on many occasions.

But Luke failed to save Starkiller's.

Luke tucked the weapon on the back of his belt where his old, useless one was and followed his father out of the chamber.

Each step made the weight in his chest heavier and heavier.

— **\- -— - - — - - — - - —**

— **\- - —**

 _Seriously, thank you all for the kind words. It means a lot to have someone appreciate something I've put a lot of work into._

 _I'm going to be generous and post this part early. Usually I hold off posting until I've written two chapters ahead but think of this as a thank you for all the support._


	12. Chapter 12: Finale

**— - - —**

 **Chapter 12:**

 **— - - —**

He took a moment... just a brief second of respite from everything. In the cockpit of the fighter provided to him by Vader, Luke clutched the remains of his fallen comrade's weapon. A prized possession for the young Sith. A gift from his Master for completing his training.

Luke could hear the stories they would tell of Starkiller. The tales of Galen Marek; _The Starkiller._ Executor of the Empire's will. A hero, the spearhead of Emperor Darth Vader's mighty Empire. A man who worked tirelessly to bring peace to the Galaxy, ideals inherited from his Master.

A relentless warrior, brutal and unmatched in combat. His battles would be told as legend. His mercilessness toward his enemies and the fear he struck into their hearts, but also the confidence and hope he inspired in his allies. In Imperial citizens.

A passionate man and a brilliant leader.

He wouldn't be forgotten.

His voice would always be in Luke's head, advising him and keeping him in balance.

Luke Skywalker needed that now more than ever. The darkness was creeping in. Suffocating him with whispers of revenge and hatred. Preying on his uncertainty and unstable emotions.

He glanced out of the viewport at the shuttle. Luke wondered if he'd made a terrible mistake bringing Leia to Vader. His emotions tore him from seeing things as they were. And to think, he boasted about his ability to make decisions objectively. Ironically to Leia.

Sister.

It still felt so unbelievable. But undeniable.

Leia's presence was bright and hard to miss. She was a Jedi. Her ideals were strong. She was fiercely passionate. She was a Rebel.

Starkiller was right. She'd never join the Empire. Luke had indeed let her cloud his judgement.

But what was he supposed to do? He could never kill her. The mere thought enraged him. What alternative was there? Imprison her and make her hate him? That's not what he wanted.

It felt like the weight of the Galaxy had fallen on his shoulders. This was how it felt to be the Prince of the Empire. That weight would only get heavier and heavier once he was Emperor. And he had nobody to split the burden with anymore.

He wished Leia could be the person he could lean on for support. Somehow, he didn't see that happening.

He wondered what his father had planned for Leia. He wondered if he'd decided her fate. Princess, daughter or prisoner?

Luke wondered if he could stand to watch.

" _Keep your focus where it belongs, Luke."_ His father startled him out of his reverie. _"Now is not the time to ponder the future."_

Luke took a calming breath, easing his nervous heart. His father was right, it wasn't the time for this. He nodded. "Understood." The only thing that mattered was keeping Leia safe.

And destroying these traitors.

This was a battle for the ages, that much he was sure of.

He studied the controls of this new ship and smiled softly at just how... _Darth Vader_ everything was. Luke's father valued speed and defense more than damage output like Luke did. A sign of maturity. This prototype TIE/wk. Stalker was a machine of purity. Of balance. It was packed into a sleek, menacing design that complimented its capabilities.

Reminiscent of a TIE/IN Interceptor, it took inspiration from other projects Vader had overseen and innovative technology from other ships.

Its central cockpit was larger, it's engine array was modeled after a ship called the _Scimitar_. One of a kind.

It's flawless, premium design aspects taken from Naboo cruisers. It's hull carefully constructed to look menacing and graceful at the same time.

Even the color had a purpose to blend into the darkness of space. A pseudo stealth craft.

Its hull was constructed of light but incredibly durable synthetic metals. Matte black in color but areas coated with a layer of diamond boron to reinforce its overall structure.

The TIE Stalker, for all the care put into making a seamless craft, didn't lack in firepower.

Two HS-44.2 solar ionization cannons molded into the two, sharp solar panels on each side. Short range but capable of bypassing shields and melting right through the thickest of hulls.

Two Lb-13 dual barrel heavy laser turrets on the tips of all four panels. A newer, more efficient variant of the turrets on Luke's Defender.

On the inside all four, slightly curved panels were ST5 concussion missile launchers on the top two and two mag pulse warhead launchers on the bottom two, molded as part of the ship like the other weapons, but only held a payload of four plus one pre-loaded in all four launchers. A far cry from the 20 in all six launchers on Luke's old ship.

But Vader's design, while based on the TIE series, wasn't a TIE in the same respect.

TIE stood for Twin Ion Engine array.

Vader's stood for Triple Ion Engine array.

With hundreds of sensors, manually adjusting thrusters, a slot for an astromech inside the cockpit to help manage the ship... the TIE Stalker was a speed demon. It could lap Luke's Defender in a race around Coruscant's orbit with ease. It's power generators were slimmed down but capable of more than triple the output of standard generators. Its shields were rated two points higher than Luke's, and even one point was a massive step up. The Stalker's single core shield generator were on par with that of Tartan Cruisers.

With a Class .6 hyperdrive, it was a feat of engineering.

Luke was astounded. Blown away even.

It took his mind from the situation. He couldn't wait to test it out.

And to do so as his father's wingman made the experience so much more.

He primed the engines, reveling in the low hum and the incredible smoothness of the ship. No vibration or shaking. It felt like a luxury ship.

Though it was strange to have an R-9 unit providing diagnostics.

Even stranger for Vader to trust an R- _2_ unit to manage his ship...

Behind the two Stalkers, the four members of Ethereal Squad in their TIE/sc fighters lifted as well, and the menacing looking _Andromeda-_ class shuttle carrying Leia hovered.

Vader and Luke took point, flying out of the hangar as one into the volatile atmosphere of Mustafar.

The escort rounded the Fortress and Luke dare not look at the destroyed portion where Starkiller's body lay.

Instead, he searched the dogfights in the atmosphere for the man responsible.

C-28.

He swore that if he saw that shuttle, he'd-

" _He is not our objective."_ Vader's voice reprimanded.

Luke bit his tongue.

The entourage skirted around the battle.

" _All squads form up behind me."_ Vader spoke fleet wide.

Luke questioned the order silently. Without air defense, the Fortress was a sitting duck.

But it was a sight to see dozens of ships break off and tail the Dark Lord and his son at full speed. The enemies, disoriented, scrambled to chase.

They all flew up and soared into the clouds. Again, Luke was surprised at how smooth flying through the thick, ashen clouds was.

Through the Force, Luke could sense reinforcements from space. He couldn't see them, but he felt over a hundred fighters come down and weave through the retreating fighters.

A series of low beeps caught Luke's ears and suddenly, the viewport darkened and showed a detailed HUD. Ally fighters were now visible in digital form as sensors and scanners worked in perfect tandem to provide accurate, real time displays. On one portion of the display, a rear view showed the enemy fighters chasing after them suddenly being bombarded by the reinforcements. Luke could only assume they had the same HUD as he had which made it so easy to overwhelm the enemy in the blinding, black clouds.

Vader and his forces pierced through the clouds and soared into space.

Alongside the 501'st were five dagger shaped Battlecruisers doubling the size of the _Imperial II_ -classes that made up the accompaniment for the _Executor_. The First Order fleet's _Reaver-_ class Battlecruisers.

Two large cannons were mounted on the underside of each massive cruiser.

Luke watched as one fired an almost instant, blue beam at the enemy fleet. It drew a molten line across two ships before that line detonated in a trail of violent, flaming explosions.

But the _Ark_ struck back, targeting one of the new cruisers and firing its main cannon and casting bright red across the hulls of the vessels. The cruiser was reduced to a burnt husk, floating aimlessly.

"That dreadnaught is tearing us apart." Luke scowled. "Even with the battlecruisers aiding us."

" _Not for long."_ Vader darkly replied. _"Nether Squad, escort the VIP to sector 12. Luke, you and I are boarding Gallius Rax's ship."_

Luke grinned at the opportunity.

He noted that his father had primed the Stalker's weapons and did the same.

" _All fighters engage the enemy."_ Vader ordered. _"Obliterate all resistance."_

Luke felt the massive presence of his father flood space. The Dark Side empowered the pilots with enhanced senses and reflexes.

Luke and Vader broke from the formation, their nimble fighters searing toward the enemy in smears of black trailing red.

" _We stay together."_ Vader spoke to Luke. _"Free up our fighters before we make way to the ship."_

Luke flipped a switch and his shields came up. "Understood."

Vader's fighter sped up with Luke's trailing closely.

On the screen in front of him, Luke saw several targets that would've been ants in actual view. Red circles outlined them and automatically adjusted the weapons for maximum damage.

The enemy fighters picking off friendlies in heated dogfights.

Luke followed his father into the thick of it. The Shadow Council's TIE fighters flew toward them, laying down a quick burst of fire before breaking away.

Vader opened fire at the next pair and with just two shots, coming down an enemy interceptor it detonated. In that incredibly short time span, the Emperor has already found his next target.

His ship broke hard left, coming on the next one's tail and destroying it with a burst fire of emerald.

The excitement pounded in Luke's chest now as he watched his father tear the enemies to shreds while they could do nothing.

A group of three had formed up on Vader's tail.

Luke speared toward them and squeezed the trigger. Green lasers trailed for a moment before smacking into one, then another who spun out of control and crashed against the third.

Luke pulled up to keep pace with his father strafing along the length of one of the Shadow Council's Destroyers. Two blue mag pulse warheads rocketed from Vader's Stalker, taking out two turrets in the process before pulling up.

Luke followed his lead, locking onto a turret as well as a turbolaser. Blue missiles screamed forward, smashing against the targets while Luke soared through the fire and smoke.

Both pulled up and away from the Destroyer.

Luke's R-9 unit beeped and whirred. Luke eyed the new scans. "Two squads on both flanks."

He recognized the model.

Dark Troopers in their TIE/sk like fighters.

" _Split."_

Vader's fighter tore to the right, Luke's to the left right toward the oncoming Interceptors. Five of them.

"R-9, route power to the solar ionization cannons." He had to admit, the automatic adjustments saved precious seconds in situations like this.

Luke let his anger flood into him. The painful wound of the recent happenings served as fuel.

They were in range first.

Luke's ship spiraled quickly, his deflector shields absorbing those shots that would've hit. He locked on to one directly ahead.

Space lit up with nearly blinding green that fired like a chain gun.

His target was mulch when he flew through the wreckage.

R-9 automatically switched back to the laser turrets while the ionization cannons cooled.

Lesson learned. Don't hold the trigger.

The other four split off in groups of two, turning around in a wide arc.

They were on his tail.

Luke dipped low, racing alongside a Destroyer while their turrets tried in vain to get a lock on the speeding vessel. He easily pulled further and further ahead.

The Dark Trooper's shots missed by what seemed like miles.

The astromech sounded again. A read out of the Destroyer came up and calculated a potential path through its trenches.

Luke grinned.

The Triple Ion Engine array howled as it gained more speed. The droid kept track of the enemies struggling to catch up.

There was an opening near the Destroyer's stern.

The Stalker eased to the left and disappeared from the Dark Trooper's view into the gap.

The droid spoke up and Luke read the transcript. _-Several priority targets located-_

A communications array.

An external power generator.

A single shield generator core.

Luke piloted the ship through the Destroyer and appeared out of its opposite side. It nimbly curved around and re-entered the gap, flying straight into its tip.

- _Concussion missiles armed_ -

Luke slowed the ship and locked onto the communications array. The missiles flew out at blistering speeds, leaving trails of gray smoke and red sparks.

The missiles exploded, and the array collapsed with another explosion triggering within.

 _-Direct hit-_

The Stalker nimbly evaded debris and dipped low and briskly cleared an exit leading to the underside of the ship.

The power generator came into view. A slight dome shaped protrusion.

 _-Solar cannons primed-_

Luke purposefully held the trigger this time. The rapid-fire beams speared into the dome leaving smoking, bright orange holes.

 _-Damage critical. Concussion missiles armed-_

Two more rockets flew forward at full throttle.

Luke's fighter dipped slightly to avoid the resulting eruption of fire.

 _-Direct hit. Shield core straight ahead-_

The single core generator was protected by the ship's hull. "Arm the mag pulse torpedoes."

 _-Mag pulse torpedoes locked and loaded-_

Luke sped up to get in range.

 _-Warning! Warning! Incoming fighters-_

The Dark Troopers came in from both left and right.

Following them were around a dozen or so fighters.

Luke quickly flipped a few switches. "Route power to the engines. Weapon power to the shields."

The enemies closed in.

- _Incoming missiles-_

Luke cursed.

 _-Flares deployed-_

An array of bright, hot flares spewed out as Luke's Stalker surged forward along the belly of the Star Destroyer. A few of the missiles veered off course.

"Alright..." Luke settled into his seat. "Let's see how fast this thing really is."

The next moment, the ship lurched forward, putting distance between the missiles and him.

"Oh jeeze!" Luke's focus doubled down on controlling the nimble fighter at such high speeds.

- _Engines overheating! Warning! Warning!-_ R-9 whistled loudly.

"Shut it, droid!" Luke snapped.

The TIE speared down, peeling away from the Destroyer.

Luke cursed at the sensors still blaring. Missiles still had a lock on him. "Persistent..."

The Force suddenly whispered in his ear.

A new darkness had entered the battle.

Rage overcame the Prince. "R-9, take control for a sec."

The droid whistled it's affirmative.

Channeling his darkness, Luke gripped the remaining missiles in his mind's eye, and squeezed them until space satisfyingly lit up with their detonations.

He took back over the controls.

His mission was then at the back of his mind. Consequences not even registering. Instead of staying in the area to converge with his father, Luke veered off, racing toward his nemesis.

R-9 whistled its objections but they were completely ignored. He let revenge guide him.

 _"Luke, stay on target!"_

Skywalker hissed angrily. "I'm taking him down."

The comm was silent for a moment while Luke piloted the fighter, searching for the surge of power he sensed.

A shuttle...

Luke smirked. C-28 was on board. And he sensed Luke.

 _"So be it."_ Vader's tone was more than displeased, but he knew he wouldn't be able to stop his son. Not now. _"Pray your revenge is worth the punishment."_

Luke's vision tunneled in, ignoring the ships behind him.

"It is."

He squeezed the triggers.

 **— - - —**

Moments like this were ones to be savored. To see the enemy in shambles, to know victory is secure. It was rather intoxicating.

" _Your end will be swift and painless... or you may have a new beginning and face your destiny at my side."_

The choice Emperor Palpatine had given the young "Galli" so many years ago seemed straightforward at the time. Live or die. He was too narrow minded as a child to understand destiny. He was just happy to have a chance at life. And a life by the Galactic Emperor's side no less. If he were to go back, he would've chosen life... but for the more complex reasons.

This is what the Emperor saw in him. His destiny. He was on a path toward nowhere when he stowed away on that Imperial ship so long ago, merely wasted potential. Palpatine placed him on a path toward greatness.

Rebels fell at his feet, either dead or, in the Sacred Way's case, in subjugation. Great warriors stood no chance against him. Not even the great Grand Admiral Thrawn saw the extent of Gallius Rax's might. Everything he'd created alongside his Emperor; every accomplishment spoke toward that destiny.

It all culminated in this moment.

" _What are your orders?"_

" _My treacherous apprentice is nearly ready to make his move."_

" _Lord Vader?" Rax had been stunned by the accusation._

" _Indeed." Palpatine scowled. "He is a cunning warrior. His resourcefulness and tenacity makes him deadlier than even I could've predicted."_

" _You're saying Lord Vader is going to betray you?"_

" _He already has, Fleet Admiral." The Sith Lord's eyes narrowed in pure rage at the mere thought. "He already has..."_

" _He will fall in line once the Death Star is complete." Rax felt more assured by his statement, and then less assured by the Emperor's lack of response._

" _Darth Vader is becoming impossible to control." Palpatine even seemed disappointed. But not entirely._

" _We must plan to counter his threats!" Rax scrambled to grab a datapad. "What do you know of his plans?"_

 _Palpatine's sickly eyes merely followed the man as he gathered documents and data to compile and begin forming contingencies._

 _Rax gave his Emperor a confused tilt of his head. "Your Highness?"_

" _Your loyalty is commendable, Gallius Rax."_

 _Praise from Emperor Palpatine was few and far between. It warranted justified pride._

" _A trait you must never forget."_

And Gallius Rax did not forget.

He had a vision for the Empire. A vision that may have clashed in some ways with Palpatine's, but perhaps that is why he was chosen to lead the Shadow Council. He was never afraid to voice his opinions, and even after hearing his vision, Emperor Palpatine still passed his legacy on to him.

But for his dream to become reality, he first had to destroy the obstacles in front of him.

Darth Vader, his son; the Imperial Prince, his prodigy; the Supreme Commander, his advisors; the Grand Admiral and the Grand Moff and with them, the entire Empire.

But Vader was resourceful like Palpatine had said...

Seven years ago, Vader showcased this talent. A decade's worth of planning and manipulating came to a head. Vader had used his enemies as tools. He anonymously provoked Galen Erso into sabotaging the Emperor's ultimate weapon's integrity. He handed the plans over to the Rebels through this proxy. He gave a Rebel Cell the location of the incomplete Death Star, and while they attacked it, he made his move and killed two birds with one stone. Both the Rebel Cell and the Emperor were lead into a trap orchestrated by Vader. He let Palpatine's Death Star be crippled by the Rebels, came in with the 501'st and annihilated them. And then he turned his fleet on the Death Star and delivered the final blow.

Vader took the Empire by the throat and somehow convinced the masses that it was really Palpatine who was the traitor. He dismantled Palpatine-era legislation and made speeches condemning the man's methodology and ideals - the ideals that the Empire was built on! Ideals Vader himself once followed!

The further into Vader's rule it got, the more Rax despised the man. It was such a sweet taste, that of revenge. Seeing Darth Vader's feared, brutal fleet cowering and his Fortress under siege was near perfection. But with the addition of Vader's First Order vessels making such a small impact... well that was the cherry on top.

Gallius Rax smiled. "Even with your new ships, you stand no chance, _Emperor_." He sneered to himself.

The last ship forming the protective barrier around the Super Star Destroyer was felled in a ball of fire. The _Executor_ was now defenseless. Not even it could withstand a direct hit.

"Admiral. The Weapon is at full capacity." An officer spoke, standing next to him.

"Perfect." Rax cracked his neck, his sickly smile widening. "It's time to show the Galaxy just how powerless the Empire has become under its ruler. Destroy the symbol of Darth Vader's might."

The officer stepped to the side to relay the orders.

In a display of twisted irony, the man noticed something. Well, it was impossible _not_ to notice it. "Sir, there may be a problem with the scanners."

Rax's eyebrow twitched. "And what might that problem be, Captain?"

The Captain studied the readout. "I... don't know..." he focused I. "An... impossibility is heading straight for us from hyperspace."

Rax sighed, expelling his urge to strangle someone. The readout populated on a screen near the viewport.

And indeed, there was an impossibility on display. An object... a massive object. Rax hadn't seen these kinds of readings since...

...Since the Death Star.

Cold realization descended on him. "It can't be..."

"It's coming." The Captain stared at the viewport with eyes wide as the moon.

Rax watched with bated breath.

A Battlecruiser morphed into real space, followed by another. And another, and another until seven of them were formed around the _Executor_. And then, yet another ship; a Super Star Destroyer form up next to her sister vessel.

What followed was a Destroyer Rax had trouble describing as a ship. It was a battle station! A single, combat ready vessel.

And it _utterly eclipsed_ anything else on the front.

With a wingspan that more than tripled the length of Vader's _Executor_ and the height of Rax's _Ark_ , this vessel floated above the formed-up Battlecruisers and the Super Star Destroyers and still managed to overshoot the whole fleet by at least a kilometer in each direction.

Behind Rax, the bridge was silent in stunned terror.

Even the Fleet Admiral himself was paralyzed.

An image fizzed into view on the screen. Governor Tarkin stood poised as ever, his cold, sharp eyes cutting through Rax's exterior. _"Gallius Rax. I'm sure I needn't explain your crimes to you, so I will skip straight to the punishment."_

Rax gulped.

" _You and your fleet are to be destroyed per Galactic Emperor Darth Vader's command. We will not be accepting surrender or prisoners."_

Gallius's mouth was too dry to respond.

" _That is, unless you can convince him otherwise. The Emperor is due for a surprise visit, I suggest you begin preparations for his arrival. It may help curb his rage."_

With a self-satisfied gaze lingering for a moment, Governor Tarkin's image faded away.

Gallius Rax stumbled over his own thoughts. Self-preservation crashing against perseverance. Fear against duty.

The men around him were shouting back and forth. The Captain begging for orders before foregoing the command chain and issuing them himself.

In just a mere moment, his uncontested victory turned into crushing defeat.

It was a trap.

"Of course it was a trap, you idiot!" Rax sneered to himself, enraged at his own arrogance. It stung even worse because he realized that Warlord Tiess had been spot on with his warnings.

No. He wouldn't be defeated here! There was no honor in dying at the expense of his arrogance!

The voices around him registered again.

"Sir!" The Captain angrily shouted. "What are your orders!?"

Rax glanced at the man. "Retreat." He simply said.

The Captain instantly spread the Order fleet-wide.

"An airlock has been breached on deck 95!"

Rax instantly snapped his attention toward that officer.

Nobody needed to be told why...

Deck 95 was right below the bridge.

"Reinforce the hallways!" Rax barked. "Lock down the bridge! Do _not_ let anything get in here!"

 **— - - —**

Loren Thiek's forehead and cheeks were moist with sweat just as his palms were when he readjusted his unsteady grip on his blaster rifle, even though peeling his fingers away from it was almost painful. His breathing was shallow as his back hunched over, kneeling and facing the darkness. The night-vision provided by his helmet was just as advanced as it had been before being issued the new one after joining the Shadow Council, but sealed entrance was still impossibly black. The sweat dripped in his eyes, but he dare not move, he felt as though if he did, the tension would snap like a stretched cord.

He and men around him didn't even know what they faced. They were only told to defend the airlock. After seeing the titanic ship Vader had brought, fighting the First Order seemed to be a terrifying prospect.

Loren gripped his weapon close to his chest.

A low, light rumble reached his ears, filtered through the helmet.

All around him, he heard blasters readying in a familiar clicking sound of safeties being released. Loren followed their lead.

"Steady..."

He felt the tingle, the absolute calm before the storm.

A feeling he couldn't fully process descended on him... hopelessness.

And then a sound he'd hoped never to ever hear hissed out. He flinched, he wanted to drop his gun and run for his life at the glowing red lighting the dark and the deadly hum of a lightsaber.

Darth Vader.

"Open fire!"

Loren squeezed. His rifle bucked.

The Emperor's lightsaber twirled. Blaster bolts ricocheted.

He walked forward, almost casually.

The Sith Lord swiftly shifted and avoided a shot while he came down on the first victim in a merciless hack. The wall behind the unfortunate man sparked and he dropped.

Vader gripped the saber with both hands and angled it. A shot smacked from it and disappeared into the helmet of another.

His hand extended.

In front of Loren, a soldier shot into the air like a missile, cracking against the ceiling.

Vader blocked two shots and casually killed the man as he walked beneath him. In one fluid motion, he flung his lightsaber out and it flew forward like a spear to pin and instantly kill a man behind Loren.

Vader held one hand out.

Bolts slapped against his palm in a hail of sparks, and then Loren's weapon, along with the remaining soldiers were ripped out of their grip. They hit the floor and slid behind the stalking Sith Lord as his saber flew back into his hand.

Loren and the others slowly backed away.

They seemed to accept their fate as Darth Vader came toward them.

Red was the last thing they saw.

The Dark Lord of the Sith stepped over the bodies as if they were some sort of macabre terrain to navigate through. His saber hummed a deadly tune.

Loud clanks sounded from the darkness he came from. Four obsidian armored soldiers stepped into the dim light, falling in step with Vader.

"Destroy their life support systems."

"Yes, my Lord."

Two soldiers hustled off and split at a forking hallway.

Vader pressed forward with the remaining two.

 **— - - —**

Luke growled in complete frustration, slamming his fist into the console as his ship tore passed C-28's shuttle, unable to do any real damage while trying to outrun the squad of Death Troopers in their specialized Interceptors. The solar cannons had overheated once more. His missile payload had been exhausted save for a single round of mag pulses. He was running out of options and justification for continuing to chase the ship.

 _-Target entering red zone-_

Luke's hold on the controls tightened. He wanted to rip them off with how frustrated he was. Edging on desperation, the instability the Dark Side brought with it pushed rationale aside in favor of revenge. "Keep that shuttle as the primary target!" Luke snapped.

 _-Incoming!-_

The Interceptors has caught up and were right on his tail.

"Where's the shuttle!?" He barked as his ship smeared through the battlefield while masterfully evading fire.

 _-Target heading toward that Star Destroyer in sector 16-_

The sector popped up on his HUD. He inwardly cursed. "We have to intercept it before it gets there."

His fighter rocked violently as a barrage of fire slapped across his shields. Luke hissed and flew the ship in a steep, downward angle beneath a Destroyer. Calculating the distance between his location and the shuttle's destination in the briefest moment of respite, a plan formulated. "R-9, take control of the rear cannons. Give me as much cover as you can."

The droid beeped it's affirmative.

"Lower the shields."

R-9 gave a nervous whir.

The TIE Stalker zoomed forward, underside, rear cannons taking pot shots at the Squad of Interceptors and at least a dozen fighters behind. On Luke's HUD, the surface cannons on the Destroyer C-28 was headed for were circled with red targeting reticles. When in range, they fired and Luke grinned. They had no love for their own men.

The Force flooded the cockpit with fiery concentration as Luke's grip tightened on the controls. His craft swerved between two well aimed shots from the surface cannons and the fighters behind slowed considerably to try and survive. Two more blistering shots heated the surface of Luke's fighter as they passed by much too close for R-9's comfort, but a satisfying explosion echoed behind the Stalker.

The reticle on the closest cannon blinked blue to signal he was in range. Luke waited.

It fired another series of shots.

Luke's fighter went sideways, his fists squeezed the trigger.

The blasts passed right between his cockpit and solar panels, so close that the energy rattled the vessel. Had the shields been up, they would have been destroyed by that shot, but instead they blazed by and smashed into two enemy interceptors trailing the Stalker.

Luke's barrage melted through the cannon's outer covering and it burst into a ball of flames.

"Shields up!"

Luke flew the ship alongside the Destroyer, much too close for the cannons on its vertical walls to target. With a sneer at each direct hit, Luke took them out one by one. The enemy fighters failed miserably to keep up with his brazen maneuvers while he blast through another explosion.

He flipped a switch. "Luke Skywalker to _Supremacy_."

" _Ahh. Prince Skywalker. I thought I saw a trail of fire and explosions in your direction."_ Tarkin cheekily greeted.

Luke smirked. "Governor. I'm making an attack run on this Star Destroyer's main hangar bay. On my mark, fire the autocannons and destroy it."

" _Autocannons at 81%. On your mark."_

His fighter peeled away from the Destroyer.

His HUD blinked as his sensors kept track of C-28's shuttle. It was nearing hangar bay on the opposite side of the Destroyer.

"Torpedoes armed." He said to himself. His fighter made a tight loop-around.

The computers bleeped to signal the torpedoes were ready to launch at a moment's notice.

He sensed the panic inside of the hangar as they tried to evacuate once realizing his plan. C-28's shuttle had already begun re-routing away.

Luke zoomed toward the hangar, evading turret fire easily. He squeezed the trigger as his ship blurred inside. Two blue rockets blasted in, smashing into the hangar's floors, ships and occupants.

Fire chased him out of the opposite end while his grin widened.

 _-Target 45 degrees to the left-_

Luke steered the ship in a sharp turn while the main hangar burned behind him.

 _-light speed preparations detected-_

"What?" Luke growled. "Where!?"

 _-tracking now-_

"Governor, fire!"

From Vader's fleet, the Super Star Destroyer beside the _Executor_ speeded a barrage of four massive blasts from its cannons perched on the underside of its shell.

R-9 suddenly screeched alongside an alarm.

Luke had failed to notice a surface cannon had locked on. It fired.

Luke pulled up.

The blast pummeled through his shields and Luke whiplashed forward, his cockpit filled with smoke and sparks.

The shots fired from Vader's fleet tore into the offending Star Destroyer and ripped it apart. The shockwave slammed into Luke's fighter and C-28's shuttle.

Luke's vision blacked out for a moment before the various alarms and bells blaring brought him to.

Sharp pain sliced through the left side of his back and dizziness clouded his senses.

As if realizing the situation, Luke ignored the blinding pain. C-28's shuttle was preparing to escape.

R-9 was overloaded. The stolen coordinates were only half completed.

He was too disoriented to even attempt the impossible task of guessing where C-28 was headed, but as he scanned the systems in the area, the Force guided him to one place.

Not thinking, he chose it and let the onboard computer finish calculations.

C-28's shuttle shot off into the blackness.

Luke's followed a moment later.

 **— - - —**

There was once a time when Gallius Rax could walk down a hallway in the Imperial Palace and men would salute to him. Some would ask questions about the legendary battles he'd commanded, they would wonder for what reason the Emperor had summoned him for; if they were planning the next glorious strike against the Rebel cells. It felt good to not just be in the Emperor's circle, but to also be looked up to and not have his status questioned like _some_ of the men in that inner circle.

After the Emperor's betrayal, Rax was no longer part of any inner circle. He had lost the power he'd worked so hard to attain for the last several decades in Palpatine's service. That fact stung, but it stung even worse to know that to Vader, Rax was a mere piece in the Imperial machine. Expendable and easily replaced. _Readily_ replaced, even. Rax was too smart to be cornered by the traps Darth Vader had laid for those men in his former master's good graces. Rax wasn't like Tarkin or Thrawn; he wasn't loyal to the _Empire_. Only it's _Emperor_. He was lucky that Palpatine covered the tracks of his Contingency so well.

Years of planning went unhindered. Decades of research and political maneuvering, all of it culminated in the birth of the Shadow Council and the resurgence of true Imperial ideals. A glorious display of power on Alderaan was supposed to be followed up by a majestic strike against Vader's fortress.

And yet... he was outplayed. Darth Vader was everything Palpatine had said he was, even if his brutish, ask-questions-later approach to governing the Galaxy was in stark contrast to the cunning, manipulative and deviousness Palpatine had warned Rax of.

Darth Vader was terrifying. Rax had always known this.

Perhaps he didn't _understand_ what Vader was. He couldn't appreciate that terror if he didn't understand the man who wrought it. He'd always seen Vader as the brash, overzealous child that was Anakin Skywalker. The Hero With No Fear may have been a sign of hope and courage to those less intelligent beings, but in reality, it was a title of deprecation bestowed upon Skywalker by his Jedi Masters. Anakin was a dull blade that swung _hard_. Palpatine liked to remind Vader of this "truth".

Rax failed to understand the dynamic is Master and Student in this Sith Order. Palpatine liked to put Vader down, to belittle him in front of others and make him seem smaller and less capable. It was cruel... but not for the sake of cruelty. Darth Sidious didn't brush off his student. No. He taught him, he trained him and forged him from a dull blade into one that cut through matter itself. The sharp blade that was Darth Vader swung even _harder_ than before.

Palpatine belittled Vader so that Vader would be forced to strike his own brand of fear in the hearts of those who felt bigger and stronger for holding the Emperor's favor. No matter who the man or woman was, each of them experienced the heart-striking fear of Darth Vader at one time or another.

And now...

Gallius Rax trembled.

Battle sounded outside of the bridge. Blasters firing frantically, men yelling in a panic and screaming pathetically to the hum of Emperor Darth Vader's lightsaber. Rax's men were cowering behind their stations, their standard issue pistols drawn toward the sealed blast doors.

Cover couldn't save them.

Blasters couldn't save them.

 _Nothing could save them_.

Gallius Rax understood this fact, if any. Unlike his men, he would not show fear.

Before him, one of his prized Star Destroyers exploded in space, filtering in a short-lived flash of bright light onto the dark bridge of his _Ark_.

The fighting outside of the blast doors stopped.

Rax didn't flinch at the loud, ominous whine of the thick, metal doors buckling under some sort of pressure. As if they were being gripped from the edges and pulled open forcefully.

"Take aim!" Rax's second in command ordered the officers on the bridge.

Rax kept his back to the blast doors and his eyes on the battle in space. A battle that was shifting rapidly in Tarkin's favor.

A bellowing 'snap' made Rax flinch.

The bridge was alive with flashes of red as the officers fired on the now mangled, open blast doors.

Rax turned.

His training in the Imperial Military Academy came flooding back to him.

But his body failed to move. Like a bad dream he couldn't escape from, paralysis held him in place while his worst nightmare stalked forward wielding the legendary weapon that plagued all Imperial Officer's nightmares around, casually deflecting blaster bolts as if denying Rax's plea to any deity for one to slip passed Vader's defense and end him.

Alas, Darth Vader walked forth unscathed. Any chance of Rax's prayers being answered were snuffed out by the two shadowy commanders in their leader's company. Gallius Rax was forced to stand and watch as a bridge filled with twenty armed, trained men fell to the blasters of just two.

Gallius's second in command fell with a splash of sparks from his chest, and the last chance for Rax's prayers died when one of Vader's accompanying soldiers fired a lance of energy into the man's skull before stepping over his body.

Hatred burned in Rax's face.

Hatred burned in Vader's sulfuric eyes.

Rax's sidearm flew into the Emperor's hand and he tossed it aside. "Check for survivors." Vader ordered. "Kill them."

The two masked soldiers nodded and silently performed their duty.

Vader released Rax and put his weapon away. The Fleet Admiral stumbled to the ground, watching Vader's boots as he walked toward the viewport.

Lord Vader scanned the battle above the planet, eyes resting on the skeletal remains of one of Rax's ships. Two vessels tore into lightspeed one right after the other.

Vader's mood further soured.

"So."

The Emperor glanced at the Fleet Admiral as he unsteadily found his feet.

"This is it." Rax's arms opened for a moment before falling to his sides. "The pinnacle of Imperial strength."

The Emperor's attention fell back onto the battle as Rax stood beside him.

"What a disappointment." Gallius spat. "All these years... the planning and the steps so carefully taken... the efforts to guide the Galaxy into an age of enlightenment. An age of security." His lips formed into a sneer. "It culminates to this." His hand swept subtly across in front of him. "We could have had the Galaxy, Vader. If you had just stayed in your place, we could have had _everything_!" He hissed. "You've earned your victory. I am beaten. But this does not end with me. The Empire will fall."

The Emperor stayed silently gazing across the stars, feeling a surge of great satisfaction as another Destroyer fell victim to his army. "Perhaps."

Gallius' head tilted toward Vader.

"But not by your hand." The Dark Lord's thick cape fluttered as he spun on his heel.

Rax half turned to watch.

Vader's two soldiers blocked the doomed Admiral's view of the Emperor. Rax's chest seized when the men brought their weapons up.

Gallius Rax instinctively protected himself.

His white uniform stained black and brown, slightly burning but snuffed out when he fell to his face.

Darth Vader didn't pay the Admiral second mind. After all, Gallius Rax was just a tool. Always had been. Once Palpatine's tool for revenge, now Vader's tool to draw out the remainder of this coup.

Vader's men quickly moved to the _Ark'_ s primary terminal and set to work. "Course set for Ren." The soldiers turned to their leader for further orders.

"Remain here." Vader ordered. "Send a distress signal once you've reached the planet. Alert me when they've come to the rescue."

Victory was secured.

Darth Vader left the _Ark_ for the _Supremacy_.

The battle was dying down. Rax's ship was the only surviving vessel.

Vader watched from the bridge of his ship alongside Governor Tarkin as hordes of 501'st TIE fighters swarmed toward the _Ark_ and docked inside.

With the trap laid, the _Ark_ shot off toward its destination.

All that remained before the First Order fleet was the destruction of its enemy.

And Vader couldn't help but feel the moment was robbed from him. By said enemy... and by his own son's thirst for vengeance.

His son, his right hand was off chasing the man who killed his apprentice, his left hand.

Starkiller. The boy with potential as big as Vader's own. The legacy of the Sith. Of the man known as Darth Vader... was dead.

 _Dead_.

Vader hadn't felt his rage boil so hot over loss since he was still Anakin Skywalker. For all intents and purposes, Starkiller was Vader's son. He _raised_ the boy! Fed him, clothed him, taught him, trained him. He rewarded Starkiller, punished him, berated him, praised him. He wasn't a tool as Vader once saw him. After the death of Palpatine, the Force showed Vader Starkiller's place at his side. At the side of the Prince. With their power combined, nothing could stop them! This _was_ the future!

So why, then was it wrong?

"My Lord..."

Vader turned from his thoughts to the meek voiced man approaching. His glare was overbearing with demands as to why this man thought it was okay to interrupt his thoughts.

"Lord Vader, the Princess of Alderaan has been stabilized. She's been taken to recovery... I-I was told to alert you personally-"

"That will be all." Vader sharply said. "Notify me when she has awoken."

The cowering man nodded quickly and bowed.

 _"She's my sister."_

Vader watched the man scurry off.

Sister.

No, the Force wasn't wrong. It was his interpretation of it that was wrong. It was Leia who would stand beside Luke. It was them who would be unstoppable. Starkiller's place had always been beside Darth Vader.

His children's place was beside each other.

And one of those children was in a coma while the other was Force knows where...

Governor Tarkin glanced at Vader as if to remind him of the situation.

Ironic how Vader could command and control battles. He could bend lives to his will and influence anything he touched.

But he couldn't keep track of his unruly son.

For now, he needed to put his trust in Luke. Trust to not only return...

But to avenge his fallen apprentice.

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 **— - - —** **— - - —** **— - - —**

 ** _Here it is! The final product. Hope I've put down interesting setup for part two of my story. Once more, thank you all for the kind words. Hope you enjoyed._**

 ** _I'll put up a link here when I post the first chapter for the second part. Let me know what you think, reviews are awesome._**

 ** _Rubies-In-My-Bloodstream, I stupidly replied to your review with a review... anyways I just want to address your concern with C-28. He's absolutely not an established character so don't worry. I won't lie, if I think I know who you may have thought he was, I may have toyed with the idea. But no, he's not established._**

 ** _SilverDaye, I'm glad you're liking this story. It's not perfect but I put a lot of time into it so it means a lot to hear people enjoy it!_**

 ** _And Darth Onixia, that goes for you to. Hope you're alright. Noticed your profile disappeared._**

 ** _ILDV, gosh you've been with me forever. Thanks for sticking through the storm my friend!_**

 ** _Morriganna, glad you caught that (not that I was trying to be subtle). Wise leaders do trust and listen to their subordinates. It's why they're in the position to begin with_**

 ** _Revliledpembroke, I can't stress to you how much I agree with the Kylo Ren/Rey fics. I love their characters just a much as the next person, but damn... can we tone them down a bit? Anyways, I'm glad you're enjoying and you have my promise that I will never devolve to writing Reylo fics :). But I guess I should give them credit where it's due... writing is very difficult and not a lot of people have even the patience to put their thoughts on paper, so more power to them._**


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